Club Tragedy
by Exeter
Summary: Seifer is a local cop for the Balamb Police Station, one of the higher ups, and is investigating a stream of murders that link to strip clubs. Squall is a stripper. Squall's life is in danger and only Seifer can protect him.
1. Acknowledgement

**Acknowledgements**

Just want to thank everyone who has been patient and supportive over this whole process. I appreciate everyone's reviews and help. Here are the editted chapters plus included new ones. All chapters have been broken up by the different P.O.V.'s. I hope this makes the reading experience much easier and more fun to read. I apologize for making it so confusing in the first place and hopefully I can start updating more regularly. Well here comes chapter one - six of the editted chapters.

Thanks again for your reviews and I hope you keep reviewing and keep reading.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** Characters and setting are owned by Square Enix, no matter how much we want them to be ours. But the plot is mine and my partners….except for with Laguna/Vincent…we got that from Disney's Beauty and the Beast concept.

**Pairings:** Seifer/Squall

**Story:** Seifer is a local cop for the Balamb Police Station, one of the higher ups, and is investigating a stream of murders that link to strip clubs. Squall is a stripper, using the extra money to pay for his sister's medical bills. Squall's life is in danger and Seifer is the only one that can protect him.

**Special Note:** This story is based off a role play I am doing over Gaiaonline with Cerulean Twin, so credits go to her as well. She wrote for Squall and I wrote for Seifer.

Another note, I have completely changed this all around. Due to flowing problems, I have decided to edit every chapter to sound better and decided to get rid of Laguna/Vincent's story. If you still wish to read their story, I will do a separate one for them. For now it'll just be Seifer/Squall.

Thanks everyone for great reviews.

* * *

Club Tragedy

Squall Leonhart let out a loud sigh as he sat in his chair in front of a mirror attached to a small table loaded with cosmetic supplies, hair brushes and products. God, why was he doing this again? _'Because you need the money, and taking your clothes off in front of a crowd is your only talent besides fighting._' the brunette answered his own thoughts with a grimace. He was long past thinking that his source of income was degrading, but that didn't mean that he really enjoyed it all that much either. Most of the other strippers at the club seemed to like their jobs, but to him it was just a means to pay his bills to get by, nothing more.

The brunette had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the commotion across the dressing area until someone called his name. Squall glanced up to see a familiar face. "Did you hear?" the young man, Nida, asked him. "Hear what?" Squall asked, turning back to his mirror and picking up his hairbrush. "Someone else got killed last night... at that club across town." Nida said, holding up the newspaper for the brunette to read. "Hn... " Squall glanced at the newspaper momentarily before he went back to brushing his hair, signifying the end of the conversation and leaving Nida to wander away. He didn't have time to worry about that right now, he had to get ready for his performance in a little while. Of course he'd heard about all of the other murders, every stripper in town had, but Squall wasn't worried.

Eventually the clock on the darkly colored wall told Squall that it was time. He stood from his chair and adjusted the multiple belts across his hips, frowning across the room at the entrance to the stage. He really didn't want to go out there, but Squall knew he had no choice if he wanted to keep his job. The music coming from the club area was signaling his entrance, and the brunette could just barely make out his name being announced amongst the noise. "Tch, whatever." he mumbled to himself as he stalked across the room and through the stage doors, ready to just get this over with already.

xxx

Staring at the newspaper articles that had been collected over the past few weeks was starting to make Seifer's head throb in pain. The idea of staying at the office all night, reading and searching for clues, wasn't a good idea. The lack of sleep, the way his eyes were staring at only one thing for the whole time, and the air around him simply was affecting his body like it normally did when he had a big case like this that he had a hard time figuring out. It was frustrating when he couldn't find enough clues to point to a suspect. Sure there were plenty in line-up but none of them was their guy. Stroking the scar between his eyes that he had gotten from an old fight, he growled in frustration and finally slammed the folders shut, the papers crinkling as he did. "Fuckin' bullshit. Who the fuck goes around killing strippers?" He snapped, eyes focusing as he pulled out his pad and pen, checking off what he had written down.

-Main Targets: Strippers.

-Rate of Sex Preference: Equal.

-Patterns: None, erratic, yet happens between nine and twelve p.m.

-Conclusion: Hyne damn insane!

Seifer glared at his unhelpful notes. They weren't giving him his answer and he hated that even more. Seifer Almasy was a competent cop, one of the best in the town, and to be stumped like this by a damn murderous monster was leaving him pretty sour. Not that he wouldn't find this guy, but the longer it took the more innocent people died. Rising from his chair, he grabbed his pack of cigarette's from his trench coat and headed outside to have a quick smoke. It seemed staying inside and investigating clues and questioning witnesses wasn't doing them any good. They hadn't gotten any closer to a suspect. It seemed he would have to take the next step and investigate secretively. "I knew I should have done this before...don't believe those idiots." He muttered as he took a drag on his cigarette, blowing the smoke out into the chilly morning air.

After his smoke break, Seifer showered and dressed for the day before heading out to the station, tuning in on the radio just in case there was more news. Nada, the same old repetitive shit. Seifer snapped it off and entered the police station, greeting all the underdogs and higher ups who he planned on joining soon enough and went to his cubicle area. With his folder set down, he got back to work reading and filling paperwork, answering calls, before evening came along and he headed home. The best way to investigate secretively was join the scene where the murders tended to happen. Since he was going to a club he wore a blue and white vest that barely reached down past his navel and tighter leather pants that still left breathing room, heavy boots, his silver choker, and his gray trench coat. Smoothing his gelled hair back, he made sure he looked good enough for the scene before he headed out to one of the adult-rated clubs. What was ironic was that there two right across from each other. Safe? Not. Parking was a little hard but getting through was a breeze. Ordering himself a glass of Gin on the Rocks and water, he found himself a seat and looked towards the stage.

It was then his sharp emerald eyes fell upon a beautiful brunette. Seifer didn't fancy himself the type to be interested in the sleazy type that flaunted themselves on stage like that but this one...just seemed different. It wasn't the fact that it was a male that bothered him, him quite comfortable in his bisexuality, but the face and those eyes. They said to him that he didn't enjoy this but did it anyways. He was fascinated but he made sure to remember why he was here and kept a watchful eye out on the rest of the strippers and patrons watching them.


	3. Chapter Two

CharactersSquareEnix.

Note: Chapter Two, revised.

* * *

The cheers of the crowd did nothing to appease Squall's ever growing annoyance with the situation as he stepped out onto the stage. He honestly thought it was a little pathetic that these people threw away probably half their paychecks to him and the rest of the strippers in the club just for a chance to see them strip down, but their money was his paycheck, so he kept his thoughts to himself and at least tried not to look like he wanted to stab them as he flicked his bangs out of his eyes. The brunette didn't bother to smile as he walked out, apparently something about his moody attitude made him extremely popular with both men and women, and any advantage he could get over his coworkers was a good thing. Apparently most of his 'fans' also seemed to like his fashion sense, though to be fair, most of the other strippers went for flashy and over-the-top, not tight leather with belts and chains. Tonight's choice was a black netted top, black leather gloves, an extremely tight fitting pair of black leather pants with multiple buckles across them and zippers running down the sides, three belts layered over his hips, and a black studded dog collar around his neck. It would have been a bit much for someone else, but Squall managed to pull it off pretty nicely.

Squall ignored the obnoxiously colored lights that were glaring into his face and stalked towards the pole at the end of the stage, looking very reminiscent of a ferocious lion closing in on its prey. He immediately grabbed the pole with a leather clad hand and pulled himself up off of the floor, twisting his body around the metal expertly before dropping back down gracefully on the other side. Once on his feet, Squall peeled off one of his gloves and chucked it into the crowd, seemingly at random, but he knew the guy that he'd thrown it to was pretty well off, and hoped that would entice him to hand over more money during the show. The brunette circled the pole as he pulled of his second glove, eying the crowd for another target amongst the group of mostly regulars that were here. That's when he spotted a blond a little ways back that he was certain he'd never seen before. The guy didn't look like he was struggling for money, so Squall elegantly tossed the glove in the blond's direction and grabbed onto the pole again. It was time to get this show started for real.

The young man with chocolate brown hair and stunning steel colored eyes may have told anyone who bothered to ask that he hated his job, but that didn't mean that he wasn't damned good at it. Squall twisted and climbed the pole for a few minutes, losing his shirt in the process, which started a new, louder round of cheers and catcalls from his audience. 'Half way done' he told himself, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Every once in a while his gaze flickered over to the blond across the room. Squall got a weird vibe from him, like the guy was up to something, but he couldn't exactly worry about it right now, so he brushed it off and went on with his routine.

Squall jumped at the pole and grabbed it, twisting his body in the air so that his was hanging by his legs upside down, letting his arms trail slowly down his own body. He then slid his fingers back up towards his legs, and tugged the zippers on the side of his pants open before suddenly twisting his body again so he was right side up on the pole, his legs wrapped around the metal. The brunette rolled his hips and used his only his legs to removed his pants, kicking the leather towards the back of the stage, leaving him in just his belts, collar, and the tiniest little black scrap of cloth that really didn't do much to cover him. Squall continued his molestation of the pole, and was pretty sure that by this point he had enough money being thrown at him to cover his bills for the rest of the month.

A few minutes later a thoroughly annoyed Squall was gathering his discarded clothes and storming off the stage. This was honestly the best part of his night though, when he could finally shower and get the hell out of this place before any adoring 'fans' tried to pay the cub security off to let them backstage to 'talk' to him or anyone else could bother him. As he stomped into his dressing room, the brunette couldn't help but to recall the blond he'd seen on the floor. That guy had just sat in the back during his whole show, seemingly more interested in what was going on in the rest of the club than the show on stage. Squall smiled bitterly as the thought that maybe the guy was the stripper murderer crossed his mind. "Tch, bet he was casing the place out, picking out his next victim." he muttered to himself as he closed his door behind himself.

xxx

For a man who knew only work and knew no such things as love interests and the likes (at least ignored them for the most part), Seifer found himself fascinated by the man dancing so sexily on stage. It was like the young man was bred to gyrate around poles and be practically naked. It almost made him forget about why he was there in the first place and when he realized that was the case he quickly ripped his eyes away from the enticing figure only a few feet away from him. Thankfully there was a crowd of onlookers that blocked him from the stage, something he didn't want to fight through just to see a stripper. Sighing as he realized just how lonely he was that he was becoming interested in a damn stripper, he leaned back in his seat and sipped his water as he tapped his fingers against the table. Now to get back on task.

_If I was a serial killer, how would I hide away enough to snatch up a stripper and kill them?_ Seifer thought, trying to put himself in the shoes of the man he was hunting down yet it was difficult. After all he wasn't a serial killer. Plus he found himself quite distracted when he looked up again at the sexy brunette on stage to find their eyes locking and a glove come soaring onto his table. It made him blink in surprise before his lips curled up into his infamous smirk. Well it seemed he caught the stripper's attention. Picking the glove up, he examined it and pursed his lips. He was sure the stripper's fingerprints were all over this and maybe he could find out who this man was and if he had been a stripper all his life or something before. Hell maybe it could even be the killer which caused him to laugh inwardly at the thought. It wasn't possible was it?

Soon the excitement of the club began to die down and Seifer saw no one suspicious. They were all focused on dancing with their partners or handing over money to the strippers. Whoever crossed the line was kicked out of the club. Of course he took notes of those faces just in case he saw them constantly here and was a suspect. Tucking the stripper's glove away, Seifer paid his tab and left, heading home with the intention of cooking himself some dinner and sitting down to read reports while watching a bit of news. It never hurt to be caught up on things happening around the world now did it?

xxx

Squall locked his door and tossed his stage clothes onto the floor. _'Glad THAT'S over._' He thought, pursing his lips as he ran his fingers through his messy hair. He was a little annoyed that he'd have to replace those gloves, but hell, the extra tip he'd gotten was more than enough to buy ten pairs of gloves. At least Squall could always count on the regulars to be suckers. Not that the stupid blond had coughed up any cash. 'What a waste.' he snorted to himself. The brunette resolved to stick to people he knew were rich from now on.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Squall grimaced as he felt a headache coming on. He decided a shower might be in order, and as much as he'd prefer to do it at home, Squall knew he was a bit sweaty from his performance and he hated putting on clean clothes in that condition, so he decided to use his personal dressing room's shower. Every stripper had their own room, but of course since Squall had been there a while and was more popular, he had one of the best rooms, complete with a pretty nice bed, furniture, and even a small bathroom with attached shower. The brunette was on his way into the bathroom to enjoy said shower when something bright red caught his eye. Stopping in his tracks, Squall glanced towards the object in question, which happened to be lying on his dressing table. It was a single red rose. "..."

Squall stormed over to the table and snatched the rose up. He immediately winced and dropped the flower as a sharp pain bit into his fingers. Someone had forgotten to cut off the thorns, or else, they'd done it on purpose. Squall sucked on his fingers that had started to bleed a little as he looked around the desk for a note or something to indicate who had left the rose for him. He found nothing, and ended up tossing the flower back onto the table. "...Whatever." He muttered and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

A short while later Squall was freshly showered, walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He quickly dressed in his favorite leather pants and a tight white t-shirt, eager to get home. The brunette slipped his boots on along with his leather jacket with fur around the collar and snatched up his keys and wallet. He gave the flower on the desk one last glance before storming out of his dressing room and heading for the back exit to the club. As he walked, Squall could have sworn he heard footsteps behind him, but every time he turned back, no one was there. Shaking it off as just him being tired, Squall pushed the door open and headed out into the night. Luckily the walk home wasn't very long, and the brunette was able to cover the distance fairly quickly, though several times along the way he was sure he'd heard someone behind him, and occasionally he'd thought he'd spotted a shadow here or there. 'Stop it Squall, you're being ridiculous.' he chided himself.

He finally reached his apartment and quickly headed inside, though he still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following him. Squall took the elevator up, glad to finally be home so he could go to bed and forget about tonight. As he walked into his apartment, he couldn't help but to remember the strange man in the club tonight. The guy definitely looked suspicious, that was for sure. Maybe he'd have to ask the security guards next time he worked if they knew anything. The stripper decided not to worry about it for now as he unlocked his door and walked into his apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him. What he needed was a good night's sleep before he started going crazy wondering about things, and that's just what he was going to do.

xxx

Seifer ate, read a few reports, showered, then dressed and slid into bed. It was his usual routine, something he had gotten into the habit of doing. The only difference was today he had gone to a strip club. The issue with that was he couldn't get the image of the male stripper out of his head. No matter what he did to try to get him out, the images of the man gyrating around the pole and flinging his glove to him just made it near impossible. What about this man had made him stand out was beyond him. Right now all he understood of it was on a physical level but he was a professional and wouldn't go out seeking strippers to warm his bed. He did have principals despite how many people seemed to question that.

Soon enough though Seifer's mind grew too tired to think about the sexy stripper and he finally dozed off into dreamland. The night went by quickly after that and the obnoxious ringing of his alarm clock startled him awake. Seven in the morning, every morning. Coffee first, wash up, brush his teeth, comb his hair, change into his uniform, grab reports, and head into office. One would think a person would get bored of the same thing every day but Seifer was a meticulous person who liked to make sure things went his way and didn't go wrong. Maybe it was OCD or some other crazy disorder but Seifer was a one-track man, keeping his mind on his work, and not quitting until he solved the case.

The first half of the day was spent in meetings, discussing robbery cases, domestic violence reports, kidnappings and missing children cases, and homicides. Every officer was getting signed to a case and Seifer was simply there to hear updates on what was going on around him. When the meetings were done, he had a quick lunch before he went back to his own work. Having brought the glove he had gotten from the stripper, he got the man's fingerprint and scanned it into his machine before he waited for any information to pop up. All that did was the man's name, DOB, social security number, and the likes. No criminal record, nothing. "Squall Leonhart." He murmured before he smirked and shut down the file. Well at least he knew who the sexy stripper was that tormented his dreams.

Now back to business.

The rest of the day Seifer spent questioning surviving victims, possible witnesses, and getting more information than he already had. All he came up with was a brief physical description. It was helpful especially when the people he questioned pointed out a mark that made the man stand out from others. He would remember that. Leaving the office around six, he headed home to wash up and eat a quick dinner before he changed. He was going back to the club, deciding that was the best way to scope out the place for the killer and see Squall on stage once more.

xxx

Squall had woken up, showered again, and gotten dressed. Today was his day off, and he planned to enjoy it. As he was brushing his teeth, his phone rang. Narrowing his eyes in the general direction of the device, he rinsed out his mouth and picked up the phone, grunting a "Hello" at whoever was on the other line. It turned out to be his boss at the strip club, begging him to come in tonight. Apparently a number of the strippers had called out 'sick' after a rumor started that the killer was casing out their particular club, and now he didn't have enough dancers to fill tonight's show. "Whatever," he said before snapping the phone shut and tossing it onto his bed. Well, there went his plans for the night, not that Squall wasn't looking forward to the money he'd make.

The brunette spent the rest of his day running errands, everything from grocery shopping to buying a new pair of gloves before he headed out to the club. Grabbing a little dinner, Chinese takeout, Squall eventually made his way into the back entrance of the club and headed straight for his dressing room. Setting down the paper bag with his dinner in it, the stripper was surprised to see that a second rose had joined the discarded one from the previous night on his desk. This one also had long, sharp thorns on it, which brought Squall's attention to the small marks on his fingers from last night's injuries. "...Whatever," he snorted, throwing both flowers into the small trashcan next to his dressing table. He plopped down into the chair and took out the food, eating it quickly before he had to get dressed for the show, not giving the flowers a second thought. It was probably just Nida being an idiot or something, he didn't really care.

Finally it was nearly time for Squall's show, so he got up and got changed into his outfit for tonight. This time he was wearing a pair of tear away black pants and his 'top' was just covered in an intricate array of belts criss-crossing his entire torso, along with his new black leather gloves. He had the dog collar back on again, but this time a leather leash was attached and hanging freely from it, a little something for the kinkier audience members. On his way out of his dressing room, Squall spotted his boss and waved him down as he made sure to lock the door behind him this time. "Tell Nida to stay out of my room," he said, his tone icy.

"Squall, no one's been in your dressing room. Nida hasn't even been here today." His boss frowned, wondering what was up with his favorite employee.

"...Hn, whatever." Squall said and immediately turned for the stage, ending the conversation abruptly and leaving his poor boss staring after him with a bewildered expression.

The brunette ignored the loud cheers as he stepped onto the stage and headed directly for the pole. All he was focused on was getting through this routine and getting backstage again. He was scheduled for two performances tonight, his second being the very last of the night and it couldn't come fast enough. As he circled the pole, letting the crowd's excitement build up as he made a show of caressing himself, his steel blue eyes scanned the crowd, looking to see what suckers he could milk for the most cash tonight.

xxx

As Seifer entered the club and headed over the bar counter, he had overheard the bartender talking about how most of the strippers had called to cancel their gig for the night. This made Seifer curious instantly and he listened subtly as the man continued. When the killer was mentioned he knew he was going to be in the right spot, right time. Apparently the strippers had heard the man would be making a visit here and he surely hoped so for he planned on catching him as soon as he did, if he could recognize him that is. Too bad the strippers weren't there to interview. It was possible they knew what he looked like. But since they weren't there, he would just have to go with his instincts on this one. He just prayed to Hyne he could do this successfully without anyone getting hurt.

Ordering himself a glass of beer, Seifer moved to a table closer to the stage this time. One to get a good viewpoint of the stripper, Squall Leonhart, but most importantly because he'd be able to see anyone from that position that might be considered a threat to the strippers that were present. As the music came on Squall stepped out, Seifer turned his gaze upon the sexy brunette as he began his routine. The outfit Squall wore was a kink that Seifer had never gotten the chance to try out on anyone, mostly because they had been boring or uncreative. But seeing Squall dressed up like such, just fed his fantasies. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he sipped his beer before scanning the audience. There were some regulars, some new faces, but no one standing out. Yet.

As Squall ducked near his side of the stage, Seifer pulled out a twenty and flicked it onto the stage for him. Hey, he owed him after all for he hadn't done that the night before. Usually Seifer wouldn't give strippers or the kind money but Squall was obviously doing this for a reason; money. Gazing up at the brunette, he smirked around the rim of his cup and gave him a curt nod.

Why he was trying to capture a stripper's eye he had no idea but after a night of tossing and turning because of said stripper, it was all he could do. Running a hand through his short-cropped hair, Seifer saw a glint off in the corner and turned his head towards the source of it. It took him a moment to realize what it was and just as the whistling sound of something being shot filled the air, Seifer jumped from his seat and grabbed Squall's wrist, tugging him down out of the path of the dart.


	4. Chapter Three

CharactersSquareEnix.

Chapter 3; revised.

* * *

Seifer grunted as the stripper fell into his lap, his free hand grappling for his gun that he always kept on him as he looked for the shooter but by the time he looked, the man was gone. The crowd was in an uproar, shrieks filling the air as everyone looked scared and nervous. Seifer got to his feet and looked at Squall intently, "You okay?" He asked, lips curled into a frown. The killer had gotten away and he cursed himself for that failure.

xxx

Steel colored eyes scanned the crowd, picking out a familiar face here and there. Squall would have had to have been blind to miss the mysterious blond sitting near the stage, but he didn't acknowledge the man other than a passing sweep of his gaze over him as he turned around and grabbed the pole. He wasn't sure why the man's presence even mattered to him, and he wasn't going to think about it right now, of all times. As long as the cheapskate actually tipped tonight, then he as far as Squall was concerned, could sit there and ogle him all night. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers, but Squall would be sure to mention it to the bouncers if the guy cheaped out on him again, he wasn't 'dancing' just because he liked it so much.

The brunette went through the motions of his routine, his face expressionless except for the tiny scowl on his lips. He crawled and moved with the music around the edges of the stage, picking up the stray bills here and there. Seeing a twenty land in front of him, stormy gray-blue eyes shot up and landed on the mysterious blond. The guy smirked at him and nodded, giving Squall a good view of the scar across the man's face. It mirrored his own, which was usually hidden by his chocolate colored bangs, and it only made the stripper more curious about the man before him. It took Squall a lot of effort not to flat out roll his eyes at the man, after all, the guy had a bit of a cocky attitude, and instead he managed to return the nod before making his way further down the stage to collect the rest of the money there. Squall crawled back to his pole, subtly giving the blond a pretty nice view, after all, he didn't get twenty dollar tips all the time, and slithered back up to the metal.

Squall had been in the process of reluctantly gyrating his way up to his feet again from being on the floor when he felt his wrist grabbed and he was pulled down, landing on something solid. The brunette didn't even have time to blink as the crowd started screaming and panicking and whoever had grabbed him fumbled for something. It was only then that Squall realized he was crumpled up in the mystery blond's lap, which had been the solid mass he'd crashed into, and that the man was holding a gun. The stripper recoiled as the man moved to stand up, the first thought in his mind being _'I_ _bet he works out_,' which Squall immediately chided himself for in his head. The brunette stared up at the blond above him, his expression showing his confusion at the entire situation. "...Fine." He finally replied, noticing the man's frown. "..." Squall moved to climb to his feet, dusting himself off and looking around the club, noticing that he and the blond were the only ones not completely freaking out right now.

xxx

Had the situation not been so serious, Seifer would have made an arrogant comment about how lucky Squall had been to fall into his lap but yet he kept his quipped remarks to himself. After all Squall or any other stripper wasn't out of the danger zone yet. With the man running free and obviously interested in Squall for him to attempt to shoot him during his work, Seifer knew he couldn't let Squall be for the night. Possibly even after. What was also an issue right now were the people that were freaking out, the bouncer's trying to calm them down as well as the bartender and the owner. The club was filled with frantic voices trying to explain what happened, that they had nearly been killed which was obviously not the truth, and exaggerated events all together that was giving Seifer a headache. How was it he and the stripper who had been shot at the only calm ones here?

Letting Squall go, Seifer stepped onto the stage and called loudly, "If I can have everyone's attention. I am Lieutenant Seifer Almasy, of the Balamb PD. I need you all to calm down!" He showed them his badge quickly before he put his gun away and glanced down at Squall briefly. He had to either convince Squall to end his shift early or to convince him to let him guard him until he knew the man and the rest were safe. Hopping down, he began going through the crowd asking what they had seen. They gave only minor descriptions for the man had been covered head to toe but he wrote it all down before he thanked them and had them return home safely. Then he turned to the bouncers to see if they had seen anything and all they had seen was the man jump into a black SUV-type car and drive away. With all that information, he went back onto the stage and found the dart that had been shot at Squall and examined it. He'd take it to a weapon's expert tomorrow and try to trace all that had bought them recently.

With all his evidence gathered, Seifer walked up to Squall and crossed his arms over his chest. "You are no longer safe. The man is targeting you and I have every right to believe he'll try again. I've been tracking him down for a while now and I won't let another person be killed. I suggest you let me drive you home so you are not hurt along the way." If he was lucky, Squall wouldn't be stubborn and thickheaded and would let him do what he needed to do to keep him safe. It was his job after all.

xxx

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on from all of the excited noise in the club. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to work, it was supposed to be his night off, 'And now look how it turned out,' he thought bitterly. The brunette didn't even turn to look as the mystery blond climbed onto the stage an announced who he was, the gun and the fact that he saved Squall had already tipped the stripper off about who the man might be. _'Cop... hn, I should have known._' Squall caught his gaze as the officer put his weapon away and jumped down, already feeling his headache grow as he realized the man was probably going to hassle him about what had just happened when he was done in the club.

While Seifer was questioning witnesses, Squall had found his tear-away pants and put them back on, it went without saying that his show was done for the night, and he didn't quite feel like standing around as a piece of free eye-candy for everyone there. At one point Squall's manager had made his way over to the stripper, practically hysteric, and only calmed down and left the brunette's side when Squall told him to shut the hell up or regret it. He didn't need or want anyone fawning all over him or freaking out, it really irritated him. The stripper spent the rest of his time watching Seifer work, his mind running a mile a minute as he observed the man. The guy had saved his life, true, but he'd better not expect anything from Squall for it.

Squall mirrored Seifer's actions and crossed his own arms over his chest, a defiant air settling over him as the man spoke. "I don't need a ride." he stated bluntly. In truth he did need a ride, but something about this guy just irked his nerves for some reason. Squall held his head high, his arms remaining firmly crossed, and he never broke his steel blue gaze from that of the man across from him. Maybe it was the fact that he'd been targeted and that he would be dead if it hadn't been for the blond, or the fact that the officer had pointed out how vulnerable he was, but Squall suddenly felt defensive, a feeling which he loathed. He wasn't a baby, or some damsel in distress, and he didn't need some hot shot cop chauffeuring him around and playing hero and making him look weak. Just because he was a stripper, it didn't mean that he wasn't a man and couldn't protect himself...

xxx

By the way Squall copied his pose, Seifer knew this one was going to be difficult. Why couldn't Squall be like all the other wimpy and needy victims? A little thank you was also in order but this one seemed to forget about manners. Seifer was an arrogant man and he hated being rejected in any manner and this was top of the gun rejection. To say it got under his skin was an understatement. His eyes narrowed at the brunette as their eyes locked defiantly, neither backing down from their position. Squall was the ice and Seifer the fire and they clashed like two natural born enemies. Seifer could feel the coldness rolling off the brunette, the defiant yet disinterest in those cloudy blue eyes but Seifer wasn't bothered by it. He could melt that ice easily and he was not afraid to in order for him to get what he wanted. Even if he was a cop, he wasn't afraid to play a bit dirty. It was one reason not many of his fellow officers liked him.

"Well I think you do need a ride. Unless you want to be shot at again or worse then I suggest you take up my offer." Seifer said in a stern voice, his lips quirking up into a smirk. It may have annoyed him a bit that Squall wasn't complying to his wishes right away but the challenge was always fun. Seifer was a bit sadistic and competitive like that, enjoying a good fight in which to prove his prowess to others and he was going to show Squall that. No one said no to Seifer Almasy. Running a hand through his hair, he dropped it into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Thrusting his head towards the door, he signaled for Squall to follow him outside so that he could have a smoke while he tried to convince the brunette to bring him home and make sure he was safe.

Lighting up one of the white-papered sticks, Seifer took a long drag before blowing out the smoke. "I understand the whole pride thing but there is no reason to be stupid. If I let you go home on your own, there is no telling what would happen to you. After just saving your ungrateful ass, I don't like the idea of leaving you alone to be killed. I didn't save you for no reason." It was his job first of all and second of all he couldn't let an attractive being such as Squall die a painful death that was way before his time. Seifer was an arrogant man who did play dirty but he was honorable and it would prickle his pride if he didn't do the right thing and make sure Squall was safe.

xxx

Squall snorted softly as Seifer tried to get stern with him and scare the brunette into agreeing. Not only that, but the bastard had the nerve to smirk at Squall like he was enjoying all of this. Well, Squall Leonhart took orders from no one, especially not some asshole cop, and he certainly didn't need his protection. He was a wild lion and no one could tame him and make him submit. Tonight on stage was the one exception; it wouldn't happen again if the stripper could help it. Squall narrowed his eyes slightly and followed the blond outside, not because he wanted to, but because he was too tired to argue and those patrons and employees that were still inside the club had begun to stare at the pair.

Leaning against the back wall, Squall watched as Seifer lit up his cigarette and proceeded to explain his intentions. Stormy gray eyes narrowed even further at the cop's remarks, and lean but muscular arms folded themselves across Squall's chest. "I didn't ask for your help." he said quietly but firmly in response. This guy made it sound like Squall owed him everything, and maybe he did, but the brunette meant it when he said he hadn't asked to be saved. It wasn't that he had some urge to be hurt or killed, but he hated how this guy was making it sound like the stripper should be groveling on his knees in thanks and praising him. Besides, wasn't this guy a cop? That made it his job to protect the innocent, and even the not-so-innocent, so Squall didn't exactly feel the need to shower him with thanks and appreciation, after all, the guy was just doing his job. It's not like he saved Squall just because it was Squall.

The brunette had had about enough of this conversation, and could already feel the migraine forming. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Squall pushed himself off of the wall and turned towards the door. "Whatever." He said, not in response to anything in particular and pushed open the back door to the club. Shaking coffee colored bangs out of his eyes, the stripper stalked down the hall to his dressing room, not bothering to look if the cop was following or not. He unlocked the door and stepped inside the room, only making it a few steps before something caught his eye. Very neatly placed in the center of his dressing table was a new red rose, along with the previous two slightly wilted roses. "..." Not bothering to shut the door behind him, Squall slowly moved towards the table, a slightly disturbed expression on his face.

"...I didn't ask for your help."

xxx

How many times had he heard that before? A lot and always in the end they came running to him, pleading for him to save their sorry asses because they had thought they were tough enough to take care of themselves. It was a tiring process for Seifer and he wasn't about to let this one go so easily. Whether Squall liked it or not, Seifer wasn't going to leave until he agreed to take him home and make sure he was safe for the night. This man was more stubborn than any of the other people he had had to help in the past but that didn't deter him. Pride was a huge thing amongst men and Seifer understood it may prickle Squall's pride to be helped by him but did he care? No. His own pride would be chipped if he just left and let Squall go home on his own which meant if he did, he lost the challenge in a sense. And there was one thing Seifer despised; failure. "No one ever asks for help and that's when you get your head blown off." He retorted, having seen it plenty of times in his field. Many people tested the person with the gun or whatever weapon they had, thinking they were tough shots, and ended up dead. Seifer didn't want that fate bestowed upon Squall.

Flicking the ashes off his cig, Seifer blew out a ring of smoke as his eyes wandered over Squall skeptically. It didn't take a genius to realize Squall was becoming annoyed very quickly. It seemed Squall had a pole shoved up his ass for he was one of those rigid sorts, he could tell. It seemed Squall had woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Shaking his head, he flicked his cigarette butt away and moved to follow Squall inside. Seifer was just as stubborn and didn't mind annoying a person until they broke, anything to get what he wanted. So he simply followed Squall to his dress room with a smirk on his face as he looked around the nice little room that definitely showed Squall's station as an upper class stripper. Isn't that a nice honor, he mused as his eyes traveled over to Squall who now was holding a few roses with a strange look on his face. This made him raise a brow as he pushed off the door frame and stalked over.

"Got many admirers I see." Seifer taunted, glancing at the dead roses then the fresh one in the middle. By the expression on Squall's face, he could tell something was up and he poked the brunette in the shoulder. "What's the matter? It looks like you saw a ghost. Who are these roses from that have you all freaked out?" His voice was slightly condescending as he spoke, eying both the roses and Squall weirdly. Who would have thought a stripper would be so damn stubborn and strange? They were only supposed to be sexy. Shaking his head, he folded his arms over his chest and awaited Squall's response, getting a strange feeling that these roses were connected to the man that he was trying to capture and arrest. If that was the case he would have to take these roses into evidence as well.

xxx

Squall didn't acknowledge that he'd noticed Seifer join him at the dressing table. He was too busy staring at the roses like they'd committed some crime against him. In a way, they had, intruding into his personal space, and even cutting his fingers, besides, he didn't like the color red all that much anyways. Squall snorted quietly in response. "Whatever." he shrugged, more than annoyed with the entire situation already.

Once again spotting no note or indication of who had left the flowers, Squall frowned as he was poked and shook his head at Seifer's query. "...I don't know." He said quietly and dropped the flowers on the table again. The stripper turned away from the table and started taking off his collar and leash. "...They just keep showing up." He added as an afterthought. Once he removed the collar and leash, Squall quickly took off the belts across his chest and dropped everything on the floor. Without paying Seifer any more attention, the brunette headed into his bathroom and slammed the door shut behind himself. After a minute or so the shower could be heard running.

Squall grabbed his soap and lathered himself up, narrowing his eyes as he thought back to the stubborn blond who was more than likely still out there in his dressing room. He wished the man would just leave, he didn't want or need him here. Sure, the guy had saved him tonight, but that didn't mean he had the right to harass the brunette until he gave in to what he wanted. The brunette scowled deeply, wondering what crime he'd committed against Hyne to deserve this. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Squall quickly finished his shower and stepped out. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off quickly and reached for the spare clothes he always kept waiting, dressing quickly.

The stripper stepped out of the bathroom, wearing his standard leather pants with more than the necessary amount of belts and toweling his hair dry. He completely ignored Seifer's presence as he chucked the towel back towards the bathroom and grabbed his white t-shirt off of the bed and pulled it on quickly, followed by his socks and boots, just like always. Still determined to pretend the cop wasn't there, Squall snatched up his hair brush, running it through his still dampened locks a few times until he was satisfied. Squall set the brush back on the table and grabbed his wallet before pulling on his leather jacket with fur around the collar and heading straight for the door, pleased that he'd managed to effectively pretend the blond annoyance wasn't there, especially since he really didn't feel like discussing what had happened again. Hopefully the man wouldn't follow him out, though Squall had a feeling the other wouldn't give up so easily as he headed to the back door of the club.

xxx

The roses were definitely symbolic for something. Of what though? If they knew who it came from then the answer would be clear. It was strange by the way Squall said it that they kept popping up. Apparently Squall had a stalker and Seifer had a good clue who said stalker was. It was the killer and it seemed they were getting closer onto his trail but yet one step forward led to two steps back. They seemed to be getting closer but it always backfired in a way. Seifer was already getting tired of this cat and mouse game between him and the killer. Every time he came close to capturing the man, he got away. There was no positive identity, no name, nothing. Just these minor clues that led to him being the one doing all of this. It seemed he was dealing with a man of intelligence for stupid criminals got caught so much easier than this. But Seifer knew the man would miscalculate and mess up and when that happened he'd be right there to handcuff him and throw him into jail. Patience was virtue but one virtue Seifer did not possess at all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seifer watched Squall take off his accessories before grabbing fresh clothes and heading into the connected bathroom. It amused him how the brunette was so intent on ignoring his presence. He was doing good so far but he knew he wasn't an easy person to ignore. As Squall took his shower, Seifer took it upon himself to explore the room for any signs of who had trespassed there and gave Squall the flowers. Since he had no idea how the room was put together in the first place, he couldn't go by if something was moved or not for he didn't know of the layout beforehand but he did his best to make a good judgment on what may or may not be misplaced or messed with. As his investigation turned to the floor to examine any foot marks in the rug, he found a strange piece of hair that didn't seem to be like Squall's. It was a bit darker, with a hint of blond in it. Smirking, he went out to get a plastic bag from the owner of the club which he placed the strand of hair in to look into later before he returned to the room and continued his investigation.

As he was looking over the flowers, Seifer felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket which he took out quickly and snapped open, "Hello? Oh...yes sir. I'm here at the club, I got everything under control. I know, I know. I'm getting close, I just found a piece of hair that may help us identify the criminal plus the dart he shot. I'm going to trace it all to see if we can pinpoint who. Yes, I'll report to you in the morning. Night boss." He said before hanging up with an annoyed expression on his face. It always ended up if the case dragged on that he got yelled at. It wasn't his fault these cases were never easy and took longer than most. Running a hand through his hair, he turned at the sound of footsteps and watched Squall return to the room to brush his hair and gather his jacket. "So, are you going to take me up on my offer or what?"

No response.

Seifer's eye twitched as Squall went around doing his own personal business while not even acknowledging his presence. The little bastard and to think he was attracted to him! Growling in frustration, he stalked after the stripper as he left his room. "You don't ignore an officer of the law, princess. No matter who you are." The last person who should think they were high above everyone else was a damn stripper. As they got into the back of the club, knowing Squall wouldn't give in to him, Seifer grabbed the scarred brunette around the waist and threw him over his shoulder as easily as if the man weighed nothing. "Sorry I gotta do it this way but if you would stop ignoring me and do as I say, I'd let you walk on your own. But since you aren't cooperating, I have no other choice." He made it seem so logical as he spoke and carried Squall to his squad car, throwing the stripper into the back before he got into the driver's seat and took off. "So where do you live?" He smirked cockily into the mirror, eyes glittering with triumph as they met furious blue ones.


	5. Chapter Four

CharactersSquareEnix.

Chapter Four; revised.

* * *

Squall kept walking, ignoring Seifer's words the entire time. The 'princess' comment caused his eye to twitch in annoyance, yet the stripper still kept up his icy silence as he walked. Suddenly Squall felt the other's hands on him and before the brunette could protest, he found himself slung over Seifer's shoulder. It pissed him off to notice how easily the other was carrying him, as if Squall was a dainty little girl or something. "Put me down now!" Squall narrowed his eyes and struggled, but he couldn't get out of the other's grip.

The next thing Squall knew, he was being tossed like a sack of potatoes into the back of a car, and just his luck, he couldn't unlock the doors from back there. He kicked angrily at the doors, but they wouldn't open and he eventually gave up as Seifer started driving. "..." The stripper glared back into the mirror as his gaze met Seifer's, trying with all of his might to make the blonds head explode but achieving no results. "You're an asshole." He stated, ice in his tone as he slumped back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.

Squall sat in a moody silence in the back seat for a bit, refusing to look at Seifer any longer. He was too infuriated, and once again the cop had made him feel like he was helpless. "... Turn left up there." He finally mumbled. Squall didn't like the thought of conceding to Seifer, but he couldn't exactly get out of the car without his help. Though the brunette promised himself that he was going to punch Seifer right in the face the first chance he got.

xxx

Seifer inwardly admitted that he liked the feel of Squall struggling against him for it sent a thrill through his body, a feeling of having the strength to overpower this feisty little lion. At least Squall wasn't one of those 'sit back and take it' kind of people which he respected, which was a big step for him considering Squall's profession. The other thing Seifer found he liked about this male was that he wasn't the screaming, bitchy type which made his life less hellish. He could deal with being called an asshole and being glared at, that was a daily thing for him. But Squall's strange silences and the fact that he ignored him so well was what infuriated him and made him forget about the good qualities the brunette had. Taking his seat in the driver's seat and starting the ignition, he smirked at the glaring orbs in the mirror as he was cursed at. "You don't survive in a world like this without being aggressive. Just be grateful that is all I am. If I was any worse of a person, I'd take you to my place and take advantage of you. After all, you gave a nice performance up there tonight." It wasn't that he was trying to piss Squall off more; it was just natural for him to grate on people's nerves. Plus Squall looked somehow sexier when his nose scrunched up like that and he scowled so deeply.

_Focus Almasy. Getting worked up over a stripper will ruin your reputation_. Seifer thought with a firm set of his lips as he drove away from the club and the part of the town that wasn't clustered by shops, restaurants, clubs, and other places that were set up for people's entertainment. It was relatively a silent ride outside of Seifer's communication radio that played Seifer's co-workers conversations. All officers had it to communicate back and forth in case of an emergency and needed back up or something along those lines. All that was being relayed was minor things like bank or store robberies, picking up alcoholics and druggies, or taking care of teenagers that were getting out of hand. Pretty basic stuff that Seifer wasn't worried about. Right now his charge needed to be brought home safely and in one piece. He kept his eyes on the road around him, seeing if he caught sight of the van the killer had taken but saw none with the same license plate. Tomorrow he'd put the license plate into the computer and trace its owner so he could go find him.

Hearing Squall's instruction, Seifer gave a curt nod and took a sharp left onto the road Squall pointed out. Again silence. It was starting to grate on Seifer's nerves for he wasn't used to such long periods of silence nor was he used to keeping his mouth shut so long. After all he was a vocal person. Coughing purposefully, he glanced into the mirror at Squall and half-smirked. "I'm gonna have to check your apartment and yard to make sure that the man isn't around." He bet Squall thought this would be the end of him and that he would leave but that wasn't how things worked. Once a person was victimized, the police were constantly around watching over them until the danger was gone for good. Seifer knew he'd be around constantly checking up on Squall, at work and home whether the man liked it or not, he'd get used it. That was his solution to that problem. Seeing the ice in Squall's eyes, he chuckled as he turned his eyes back onto the road. "You don't have to look so pissy, I'm only doing you a favor. I'm sure you don't want your ass skinned." Or fucked but he wouldn't say the literal sense of what he meant. It might get him seriously injured.

Ending his ride by parking in the lot of Squall's home, Seifer turned the car off and got out, taking his time doing so. Checking out the front yard, he saw no suspicious cars. It seemed the killer was trying to be suave and sneaky still. Shaking his head, he let Squall out with a partial grin. "Ladies first." He teased, leaning against his car as he waited for Squall to head in and show him around.

xxx

Squall snorted loudly at Seifer's remarks; of course he would say that Squall should be grateful even after he basically kidnapped the stripper. The rest of his comments made the brunette roll his eyes in response, shooting another icy glare into the mirror. "As if I'd let you." He snapped, annoyed that the blond considered him so weak that he would suggest that he could do anything like that to Squall. "Whatever, it's not happening again, asshole." Squall growled, mentally cursing himself for what he'd done earlier; this bastard certainly didn't deserve it no matter how much he tipped. The stripper pursed his lips, refusing to continue the discussion any further for the time being.

The ride seemed to drag on for forever. Squall never realized how far he lived from the club; he'd always enjoyed the solitude of the walk home. He was barely listening to the chatter over the radio; it was mainly trivial things, nothing that he really cared to pay attention to right now, his mind too busy mulling over the night's events. The brunette wrinkled his nose, figuring the reality of what had happened hadn't quite set in; after all, weren't you supposed to be worried or freaked out if someone had tried to kill you? Honestly though, it didn't really seem like that big of a deal to Squall; he was just fine now, so why care anymore than he had to. Still...if Seifer hadn't been there... _'No, it didn't happen and that's all that's important._' Squall chided himself mentally, refusing to acknowledge just how indebted he actually was to the blond.

After he told Seifer where to turn Squall had thought that he'd be able to enjoy the rest of the ride in silence; apparently he was wrong. As soon as the other man coughed, Squall rolled his eyes yet again and looked up at the rearview mirror, steel eyes meeting the bastard's smirking gaze. 'Ugh, great. What does he want NOW?' the brunette hissed in his mind. Upon hearing what Seifer had to say, Squall stared at the cop as if the man had grown a second head. He couldn't be serious, there was just no way. "... Excuse me?" He asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He didn't want this pompous ass snooping around his stuff and bothering him anymore. 'Hyne, what did I do to deserve this?' Squall sighed, sinking back into the seat again. "Hn, whatever." He snapped at Seifer, rubbing the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, trying to block out all sights and sounds of the other man. Really, he was doing Squall a favor? As far as the brunette was concerned, the egotistical bastard could take his favors and shove them up his ass. 'Ugh, does he have to sound so smug about it?'

Squall drummed his fingers impatiently on the backseat, watching as Seifer turned off the car and got out. Instead of letting him out, Squall was forced to sit in the back of the car and watch as the blond inspected the area around the apartment complex. Did he have to be so slow about it? The brunette scowled darkly as Seifer opened his door and made the 'ladies first' remark. "Whatever." He snorted, climbing out and storming right over to the front doors, eager to get rid of the blond as soon as possible. He was sure now that Seifer was trying to piss him off on purpose.

Squall let himself into the complex, and without bothering to wait to make sure Seifer was right behind him, stormed over to the elevator and got inside. He pressed the button for his floor and tried to pretend that the cop wasn't there as he leaned against the wall for the duration of the ride up. After what seemed like forever, the doors opened and Squall made a beeline for his front door. He pulled out his keys and unlocked it, turning to glare at Seifer. "Make it quick, then get out." He snapped, figuring the man wouldn't leave without doing what he promised.

xxx

Whatever seemed to be Squall's vocabulary or at least choice word, and Seifer found he absolutely hated it. It was just another way to avoid him in his eyes. An act of not caring or no interest and Seifer didn't play that way. Narrowing his eyes at the cold brunette, he shook his head and followed him into the building. His long legs helped him keep up with the stripper that was stalking away from him as quickly as possible. Too bad Squall couldn't get rid of him that easily, not when he was determined especially. Seifer simply smirked again at Squall as he got into the elevator and leaned back against the wall as it swooshed, lurched, and shot upwards at a slow even pace. They always made his stomach do a brief flip but he ignored the butterfly effect as he waited for the large metal doors to open for them. The whole time he had eyed Squall out of the corner of his eyes, amused at how determined the other was to not acknowledge him. Even though it grated on his nerves, it amused him at the same time. He had never met someone like this so it was a whole new experience he wanted to play around with, like a kid with a new toy.

As the doors opened with a ding, Seifer stepped out after Squall, hovering behind him closer than he had to be, as Squall unlocked his door. Hearing the command, the scarred blond laughed in a condescending manner as it always seemed with him. "I do not think you have the upper hand here. I do my job with proficiency and I will not rush. Nice try though." He ruffled Squall's hair, knowing it would infuriate him, before he stepped into the apartment and looked around. Simple and boring. He had thought someone with the profession Squall had would have something more...interesting. Almost kinky like. Yet the walls were bare and white, furniture simple, and the decoration was plain. Squall definitely needed an interior decorator. Chuckling to himself, he stalked around the living room first looking for any suspicious signs of a stranger, looking everywhere a person could hide before going to all parts of the apartment.

Empty.

Except there was a window open and another rose with a note attached to it. Seifer picked it up quickly, wincing as the needles dug into his fingers causing blood droplets to form, but he ignored it and looked at the note. "I'll get you, you'll see." was written in fancy writing. No name, nothing. Raising a thin brow, Seifer glanced up to Squall and showed him. "Now do you get what I'm saying? You are not safe. I suggest you let the cops keep an eye on you so nothing happens." This time he was very serious, no smirk, no cocky grin, just a stern expression of seriousness.

xxx

Squall had felt the other eying him during the entire elevator ride up, and it had grated on his nerves severely. Nothing was going to happen in the elevator, why couldn't the idiot just leave him alone for two seconds? The stripper was actually starting to miss the overly zealous fans at the club; at least he could escape from them. And did he have to walk so close?

Standing there next to the door as he waited for Seifer to check his apartment out, Squall felt his eye twitch as the blond laughed; the sound was absolutely infuriating. He didn't bother arguing, content to just let Seifer think he was in charge and check the apartment out if it would get the blond to leave faster, that is, until his hair was ruffled. Squall hissed and swiped at Seifer's hand like an angry cat. How dare he touch him, again! The brunette fixed his hair as he watched the cop enter his apartment, checking everything out. _'Idiot._' He mentally growled.

Squall watched from his place in the doorway as Seifer went over everything; he had to admit, the man was thorough, though Squall didn't exactly like Seifer going through his home. The brunette stared with an unreadable expression as the other showed him the rose. Squall didn't reply, instead he walked over and looked at the note. Wonderful, now he couldn't even have his home to himself. "Whatever."

Stripping off his jacket and hanging it up, Squall sighed loudly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He knew that Seifer had a point, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. Squall valued his solitude above most other things, and now that was being taken away from him. 'I don't know why they want me,' he thought to himself, shaking his head. "Are you done yet?" he asked Seifer, feeling a bit drained from his stressful night. Squall just wanted to lie down and sleep already.

xxx

Seifer almost punched Squall. What the hell was this man's problem? Did he not care? His safety was on the line and all he was trying to do was help the man and all he could say was whatever. If it was possible, smoke would be pouring out of his ears and nostrils at the simple frustration that simple word gave him. He was going to form a heavy dislike for it, he just knew it. Seifer glowered at Squall with an expression that said he just didn't understand him. Maybe that was the point but he sure didn't like it. Hearing the question made him nearly slap himself in the forehead but he controlled himself. He wasn't allowed to be violent with those he was trying to help even if he felt the need to strangle Squall at this moment in time. Hyne knew he pretty much deserved it right now. "Is that all you can say? _'Are you done yet'_? Do you even realize that your very life is in fucking danger and here I am trying to save it? It makes me wonder if it is even worth saving the life of someone who can't even respect themselves and goes parading themselves up on stage like that. Disgusting." He snapped, heat rolling from each word he spoke so venomously. It wasn't that he exactly meant them, he was just pissed.

Seifer dropped the rose and stalked towards the door but didn't leave without turning to look at Squall again, "Heed my warning, princess, he will come and try again and when that happens, you'll come sobbing to me. Begging me to help you." A sneer spread across his face as he flipped Squall off and slammed the door behind him. Asshole. Who does he think he is? He'll wish he had listened to me, sooner or later and when that happens I'm going to laugh in his face. He thought smugly as he left the apartment complex and hopped into his car. Rubbing at his forehead and the sting in his scar, he sighed and pulled away. Well he was going to be up all night researching his new found evidence. Thankfully he had a little laboratory in the basement of his house so that he didn't have to be in the office the whole time. It was more convenient that way and no one would bother him. Even better.

Seifer drove almost speedily home, brows scrunched together in an angry manner as he thought about how infuriating Squall was. Why he couldn't just simply shove those thoughts aside and not think about Squall was beyond him but he knew he wouldn't be able to rest well until he knew Squall and the rest of the strippers were safe. Parking in his garage, Seifer hopped out with the bag of evidence and headed immediately inside and down to his basement. Seifer could be called a workaholic for all day and all day most of his time was spent dealing with work-related things. This being one of them but Seifer felt, his job as a cop, could never rest. He always had to be on top of his game to make sure the criminals didn't get away with murder. Literally. When he had made his vows and taken the job, he had sacrificed his personal time to keeping order in the small town of Balamb and he was keeping that promise no matter what.

xxx

Squall narrowed his eyes as Seifer snapped at him. Of course he realized he was in danger, he never said that he wasn't. Maybe he should have thanked the blond for saving him, but somehow Squall couldn't make himself say it, something about the blond just rubbed him the wrong way and the stripper refused to thank someone whose intentions he couldn't sort out. The cop's words went mostly in one ear and out the other until that very last word. Disgusting. Seifer had called him disgusting. Squall's eyes burned a deep gray as they narrowed even further, and his hands clenched into fists. The fingers of his right hand twitched, and if Seifer hadn't chosen that moment to walk away, he surely would have been slapped him across the face for what he'd said. Squall had never really looked back on his chosen 'profession' with regret or shame aside from his first week or so, but somehow the blonds words cut into him more deeply than any others, making him remember how he'd felt when he'd come off the stage after his very first performance. He'd felt dirty, like a piece of trash in the gutter, and Seifer somehow managed to bring that memory to the surface with just one word; Squall hated him for it.

The brunette stared down at the rose as Seifer stomped away, the anger and pain still causing him to clench his fists and his jaw tightly. When the blond spoke, Squall couldn't help but to look up at him and glare again. He watched Seifer, only half listening as the blond berated him again; the other half of his attention was focused on the other's body language. Seifer looked so angry, and Squall didn't understand why; they were just a stripper and a cop doing his job, after all. The brunette didn't even flinch as Seifer flipped him off and the door was slammed shut after him, his mind was too busy replaying what had just happened and what the man had said. '_Heed my warning, princess, he will come and try again and when that happens, you'll come sobbing to me. Begging me to help you._' Squall finally growled in anger and took his frustration out on the nearest object, a lamp, and swiped it to the floor where it shattered into hundreds of pieces. "... Whatever." He snapped, ignoring the mess as he stormed off into his bedroom where he immediately collapsed onto the mattress, still fully clothed.

Squall wasn't sure how many hours he laid on his bed, his mind racing and preventing him from sleeping. He kept replaying the night's events over and over again, thoughts of a certain smug, irritating blond refusing to stop torturing him no matter how hard he tried to tune him out. 'Disgusting.' The singular word kept repeating itself in Squall's mind, and every single time it made him even angrier. How dare Seifer judge him, HE was the one tipping Squall just a few hours earlier, and now he had the nerve to insult him that way? The brunette scowled darkly and buried his face into the pillow. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn't get Seifer's words out of his head. _'And when that happens, you'll come sobbing to me. Begging me to help you_.' Squall sighed into his pillow, mulling over what the cop had said to him. '_... He's right... when it happens, who else is going to help you?_' Squall rolled over and stared at his wall, feeling strangely empty and alone, even a bit vulnerable. Someone was trying to kill him; someone had been in his dressing room, and even his home, and Squall had managed to alienate the one person trying to keep him alive. Maybe it was for the best... he always hated being rescued.


	6. Chapter Five

Characters belong to SquareEnix.

Chapter Five; revised.

* * *

Seifer did hope that his words haunted Squall, they were meant to. They were harsh, heartless, and cruel but Seifer couldn't sugar coat things. It wasn't his problem Squall had chosen such a degrading profession even if Squall didn't deserve to be called disgusting. After all, he had enjoyed the spectacle but sometimes Seifer said things he didn't exactly mean when he was pissed but there was no way he was going to apologize for it. If only Squall had cooperated with him and gave him a bit of appreciation he wouldn't treat the stripper as if he was a mere object and not a person. It wasn't done purposefully but when he felt he wasn't being treated fairly, he was going to make sure the other person felt the same way. So if his words haunted Squall's every waking minute then so be it. Maybe it would teach him a lesson about sending away those who were only trying to help. Sadly thoughts of Squall haunted him as well so it seemed he was in the same boat. Not even trying to focus on the task in hand wouldn't get the brunette off of his mind. It was becoming a nuisance to the blond and he felt the need to smash his head against the wall but refused to bruise his handsome and extinguished face.

Putting the strand of hair underneath the microscope instead, Seifer zoomed in close and examined it through the eye piece. With the way the light hit the strand, Seifer could see that it was brunette but of a lighter shade. Chestnut or auburn, Seifer mentally noted before he wrote it down. Now all he had to do was get a possible DNA test from it and that would help track down the owner of said hair. Setting that bag of evidence aside, he began examining the dart that had been shot at Squall. It was a dart with a needle of three inches, a vessel for the tranquilizer fluid, and the inscription; Tranq. Inc. on it. Scribbling that down, he set the needle aside and pinched the bridge of his nose. Well at least things were starting to fall together and he was getting close to cracking this case. The sooner he put a face and name to the killer, the sooner they could find him, cuff him, and throw him in jail for good. No doubt the death penalty would be instilled if they were able to prove that the man was indeed guilty of killing all those strippers around the town of Balamb.

Setting all evidence in a small, safe carrier that he would bring to work tomorrow, Seifer headed upstairs to take a shower and change so he could climb into bed. He knew where his morning would be spent and he knew he would need as much sleep as he could get. Stepping out of the bathroom wearing just sweat pants, he climbed into his bed and flicked the light on to look through his mail briefly before he shrugged and turned the lamp off again and rolled onto his side. Closing his eyes, he began to doze off which brought forth his first dream of the night. It was of Squall, doing his thing on stage and then minutes later was splattered across the street with his brains shot out. A man without a face stood over the body, laughing maniacally, telling him he had failed then turned and walked away as Seifer cursed and held the bloody body. The rest of that night was spent experiencing horrible dreams until the alarm pierced through them and woke him up for good. Awake in cold sweat, Seifer rubbed his face and sighed. That definitely worried him. He knew for sure he'd be checking up on Squall after work, no matter if Squall liked it or not.

xxx

Squall tossed and turned the entire night, finally giving up on sleep when the sun came up and he was still wide awake. He figured it was pointless to lie there any longer when his mind wouldn't stop replaying the night's events. What Squall needed was a distraction. The brunette was scheduled to perform that night, but a quick check of his cell phone revealed several messages from his boss telling him that he didn't have to come in; apparently his boss was concerned about his favorite employee. Squall ignored the messages and got out of bed, quickly pulling on a pair of running pants and a plain white sleeveless shirt. He hoped that a run would help clear his mind for the day.

Once he was fully dressed, Squall headed out the door with a bottle of water in hand. The stripper figured that he would be safe enough jogging around in broad daylight, and if he wasn't, then too bad, because he refused to stay cooped up inside his apartment all day. Squall decided to make it a long run and headed into the busy part of town. No one bothered him as he ran, and he didn't notice anyone following him either. Eventually he found himself passing the Balamb Police Station, which instantly brought a scowl to his face. He wondered if that arrogant bastard was inside, probably drinking coffee and telling all his cop buddies about how he'd rescued some poor defenseless stripper last night. Squall snorted and sped up, trying to distance himself from the building, lest he bump into the blond.

An hour later Squall arrived home, quickly stripping off his running clothes and taking a shower. He spent the rest of the day cleaning his apartment and running needless errands, anything to occupy his time and keep his mind off of Seifer. Eventually the sun set and it was time for Squall to head into work, despite his boss having given him a free pass not to come in. Squall wasn't scared, and he certainly didn't want anyone thinking he was too scared or traumatized to come back to work.

The brunette headed out of his apartment just as it was getting dark, making his way to the club. Once again, he couldn't help but notice how long the walk actually was, and it was only made longer by the fact that he was certain someone was following him. Squall figured that it was safer to keep moving and get inside than to stop or try to turn back, so he quickened his pace to something between a walk and a jog. He didn't turn back to look as the building came into view and he practically ran for the back door. Right as Squall turned the knob to yank the door open, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. The stripper spun around quickly, swinging his elbow out at the attacker's face. There was a tiny yelp and he felt his elbow just barely graze the person before he finally realized who it was. "What are you doing?" Squall snapped, staring daggers at Nida who was standing before him rubbing his own jaw.

"Ow... sorry Squall, I saw you rushing over here and I wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked upset." The man explained, still rubbing the now red spot on his face.

Squall stared at Nida for a moment before he shook his head and turned to go inside. "I'm fine." He stated simply and walked away.

Squall stalked down the hall towards his dressing room, Nida hot on his heels. "Wait Squall!" He called out, having to hurry to keep up with the brunette. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming in, not after what happened last ni-"

"I'm doing my job." Squall interrupted, narrowing his eyes slightly at the other stripper. Without another word Squall opened his dressed room door and stormed inside, slamming it shut behind him. He didn't need anyone worrying about him, definitely not Nida, and least of all that stupid blond cop... though once he was alone in his dressing room, Squall couldn't help but to wonder if the man was there. The stripper had been in such a rush to get inside, he hadn't even noticed if Seifer's car was outside...

xxx

Seifer had brought the evidence with him back to the station, showing it to his superior officer and having it sent to the lab to be tested as well, just to make sure what Seifer found was correct. His boss was glad that he was actually starting to get closer to capturing the killer but not wholly satisfied. The man believed an officer was only efficient if they captured their criminal. This cat and mouse game was tiring the boss but Seifer didn't care. It wasn't his fault this man was elusive and barely left clues for them to find. This was the only time he had gotten true evidence. Said evidence went through multiple scanners, many tests, and examined by many technicians. A list of buyers of the dart was scanned out and Seifer examined the list intently. He was surprised at how many people actually bought the darts but knew it was better than nothing. It was a good start and if interviewed these people and the owner of the shop, he was sure to come upon the killer. With that thought in mind, he wrote down all the addresses to the names on the list and left to the station and went from one address to another. A few were clear that they weren't the killer, a few he had more suspicions of, and a few were absent from the home. For those who weren't home, he left notes saying that they needed to contact the police as soon as they came home and if they didn't within a twenty-four hour period, an officer would be knocking on their door.

Seifer spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through the notes he had gathered from the people he had interviewed in their homes, sorting the ones he found suspicious and the ones he didn't. Finding his old notes, he tried to compare and contrast them and see who fit the description. Pursing his lips, he checked off those that weren't anywhere close to the description he had of the killer and put those who did on the side. When a subordinate officer came with the results from the test on the hair sample, he examined the record. Irvine Kinneas. The name had definitely been on his list and he had been one of the people that hadn't been home. That made him even more suspicious. Setting the record aside, he cupped his chin and thought. Did Squall know this man? Maybe the strippers Irvine killed were connected to him outside of the fact that Irvine had a possible vendetta against them. Shaking his head as he had no possible answers, he rose to his feet and grabbed his keys to leave. He'd just have to talk to Squall about that and hear his answer.

Seifer got take out for dinner before heading over to the club. With how stubborn Squall was, he was sure the stripper had gone to work. It seemed Squall wasn't taking this seriously. Hopping out of his car, he stalked into the club and took his seat at his former table and stared up at the stage. Exactly as he had suspected; Squall was working. It seemed the man had a death sentence but that was fine by him now that he had a name to the killer. Sitting back in his seat, he smirked and waited for Squall to notice him or at least have a break so he could pull Squall aside and speak to him. At least the man was alive and well.

xxx

Squall wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not when he spotted Seifer in the audience halfway through his performance. The brunette made sure he didn't make direct eye contact with the cop, he could already feel Seifer's smirk from where the blond was sitting. _'Ugh, what an asshole_,' he growled mentally, thinking back to the previous night as he twisted around the metal pole at the end of the stage. Squall could barely concentrate on his routine; Seifer was just too distracting, even when he wasn't doing anything to interrupt Squall. _'Disgusting_.' The brunette did his best to tune the word out but even the club noise couldn't quite get it off his mind right now, not with the man who said it sitting there watching him.

Gracefully descending from the pole, Squall avoided the side of the stage where Seifer was sitting and instead focused his attention to the opposite side, much to the delight of the customers sitting there. He really wasn't in the mood to pander to the crowd, but it was better than having to look at Seifer while the cop was watching him. Soon enough Squall heard his music ending, which brought a sigh of relief from the brunette. Completely ignoring a few customers trying to give him money, Squall bolted for the stage exit, trying to get back to his dressing room before Seifer could catch up with him. The stripper was certain the other wanted to talk to him, but his pride was still wounded from last night and he really didn't want to speak to Seifer right now; besides, punching a cop wouldn't be good for him.

Squall rushed quickly through the hall to his room, not stopping to talk to anyone and slamming the door shut behind him. He quickly locked the door and looked around the room; nothing seemed to be out of place, and there wasn't even a rose in sight. "... Hn." He felt a slight tinge of relief pass through him and headed towards the bathroom. Squall was supposed to do another set, but he decided he was just going to take a shower and leave; it wasn't like he was expected to be here tonight anyways. The brunette shut the bathroom door behind him before stripping off his outfit and stepping into the shower. The sound of the water was loud enough to drown out all sounds from outside, and Squall welcomed it gratefully, finally getting his mind off of Seifer for a bit.

A short while later Squall finally turned the shower off and reached for a towel. He quickly dried his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist before stepping out. The stripper stood in front of the bathroom mirror and wiped the fog off of the glass so he could see his own reflection. '_You look like crap,_' he thought to himself, noticing the dark rings under his bloodshot eyes from a combination of stress and not sleeping. The brunette shook his bangs out of his face and turned away from the mirror as he headed for the door, intending to get dressed, he didn't want to be here any longer right now.

Squall thought the lack of sleep must be getting to him when he couldn't get the door open. He knew he hadn't locked it, and there was no external lock, but the knob refused to turn, no matter how hard the stripper twisted or shook it. "...Hn..." Squall shook the knob and tried it again, but the door still wouldn't open. Pursing his lips, the brunette raised his fist and pounded on the door, wondering if anyone was out there to hear him. "... Hello?" He called out, hitting the door a few more times before trying to knob with no results. The brunette couldn't ignore the apprehensive feeling that was starting to creep through him now.

Squall thought he heard noises outside of the door and hit the door a few more times, narrowing his eyes slightly as the noises grew louder. "Who's out there?" He demanded angrily. He knew for sure he'd locked his door, and surely someone would have noticed the lock being picked if someone had broken in. Was it Seifer? After all, the cop could have used his status to force someone to let him in. The brunette had a sinking feeling that it wasn't Seifer though as the lights went out in the bathroom.

xxx

It didn't bypass Seifer that Squall was avoiding him and he knew exactly why Squall was doing it. The stripper was obviously pissed at him. Well he would make it a point to let the man know that doing so was bad for his business. It was his job to entertain, no matter his feelings. Not that he really cared but Seifer just liked to be an asshole sometimes...well most of the time. Watching with amusement as Squall stuck to the opposite side of the stage, pleasing the viewers there with his ample body and good looks, money being flung every which way at the stoic man. How such a person could do a job like this was beyond him after all Seifer just couldn't see the stubborn, silent man working a job like this. He wouldn't have believed it either if he wasn't watching it like he was now. He felt like a pervert watching but he couldn't take his eyes away, the way Squall moved his body was just too addictive and being a man it was hard to not get aroused, in a sense, by someone that was appealing to them. Squall was definitely appealing, physically especially but Seifer found himself mostly attracted to Squall's attitude, a challenging one at that, that gave him a sense of thrill to his every day routine lifestyle. Even if being a cop was relatively hardcore and constantly filled with action, this was nothing like what he dealt with on a daily basis. This was something unique and Seifer was enjoying it while also keeping a sensible head on since he was still dealing with a case.

When the routine was finished, Seifer watched as Squall hurried off the stage, not even taking the tips he had received from the customers. Odd. Hearing the sounds of disappointment and annoyance, Seifer rose from his table and stretched. There was no reason to rush after the man; after all he didn't need attention upon himself. Ruffling his short-cropped hair, Seifer began heading for the back of the stage.

He didn't exactly know where Squall's dress room was but he was sure it wouldn't be too hard to find. All he had to do was knock and when Squall didn't answer he guessed the one with the locked door was said man's room. Amused, he tried the knob again and waited after knocking a few times. No response. "Aw, ignoring me Leonhart? That's no fun." Deciding that Squall wasn't going to answer, he made himself comfortable on the ground, legs stretched out ahead of him with a notepad in his hand. He might as well make himself useful and figure out his next move. Well if he could at least check up on Squall and make sure he got home safe, he could then move onto his next project: Tracking down Irvine Kinneas.

Seifer was so distracted by his own train of thought that he hadn't realized how much time had passed. When about fifteen or so minutes passed, he lifted his head and glared at Squall's door. What the hell? He should be out by now. Shoving his pad into his pocket, he rose to his feet a bit stiffly and grunted. His knees popped as he straightened out his legs but that was the least of his problems. Not but a few seconds later, he heard Squall's voice and a bit of banging inside. The light that had been streaming through the crack in the door was suddenly shut off. This alarmed the officer as he quickly pounded his fist against the door. "Squall? What's going on? Who's in there?" His heart began to race as he already imagined what was going on but how? Cursing himself, he began slamming his shoulder into the door, bouncing off it the first few times before it creaked and broke off its hinges. Storming through into the dark room, he saw a darker shadow bolt towards an opened window. Instantly, Seifer pulled out his emergency gun and ran across the room to cut the person off. They stumbled into each other and went down to the floor, fists pummeling each other, Seifer's gun whacking the intruder in the side of the head. Their rolling on the floor gave the stranger time to get up and away from Seifer who was on his feet quickly and shooting after the male.

One bullet struck but didn't stop the man as he jumped out the window and ran. Seifer cursed and raced to the window to see the man racing down the alleyway to a jeep that took off away from the club. Growling in frustration, face and arms throbbing, he put away his gun and went to the bathroom door to see it was locked from the outside. Unlocking it, he ripped the door open and gave Squall a half-smirk, "You're lucky I was right outside...shit, I told you to be more cautious."

xxx

Squall heard someone shouting and some loud thumping sounds. It almost sounded like Seifer, but the voice was extremely muffled by the doors. "... Almasy?" He called out tentatively, feeling for the door knob in the darkness. It was still locked. The stripper jumped back in surprise as several extremely loud and forceful bangs sounded from outside in his room. Squall pressed himself back until he found his back was against the sink, his eyes straining in the darkness for any sign of what was happening.

The brunette felt his heart leap in his chest as he heard the distinct sound of wood splintering; he could only hope that it was Seifer out there. Squall gripped the counter in the darkness as he held his breath, listening to the sounds of a violent scuffle outside. Right when it sounded like the fight was over, he heard several of what could only be gunshots. Squall's eyes widened; was it the killer? Had he killed the cop?

Squall had no idea what was happening outside and could only wait with white knuckles and abated breath to see who was waiting for him. A pair of slightly surprised and vaguely relieved steel blue orbs landed on a pretty bedraggled looking Seifer as the door was yanked open. Squall was too in shock to even bother coming up with a witty retort at the moment. For a few moments he'd actually thought Seifer was dead and that it was all his fault; it took a few minutes for Squall to regain his bearings enough to roll his eyes at Seifer and push past the blond.

The stripper had to side step the mess left over after Seifer's scuffle with his attacker so that he could find his clothes. He really didn't want to be clad only in a towel in front of the blond any longer than he had to be. It took him a minute to find his clothes in the mostly dark room, but Squall finally located his mostly leather ensemble and made his way back to the bathroom to get dressed. He quickly closed the door and pulled his clothes on, feeling very vulnerable here and wanting to leave as soon as possible. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Someone always out to get him, and having to rely on the cocky blond to save him each and every time? It seemed that Squall couldn't even shower now without a body guard.

Once fully dressed, Squall exited the bathroom and started to gather his things. The mess could wait until tomorrow; he wasn't in the mood to deal with it now. Bending down to pull on his boots, something caught the stripper's eye. It was another rose, lying on the floor partially under the bed, easy for him to miss. It seemed like the killer must have dropped it before he'd had the chance to place it where he wanted. Squall frowned and picked it up, being careful not to stick himself on the thorns. "...Almasy." Squall mumbled, turning towards the man and holding out the flower.


	7. Chapter Six

CharactersSquareEnix.

Chapter 6

* * *

When Seifer had opened the door to release Squall from his bathroom prison, the blond had expected the stripper to jump into his arms and sob hysterically in gratitude for saving his life. Sadly that wasn't how it had happened. It made him curse himself and tell himself to stop watching action, heroic movies. He had to remind himself that Squall wasn't the typical victim, no matter how much he wanted to make Squall seem that way. Growling in frustration, he watched with irritation as Squall ignored him in search of his clothes. Still no gratitude. Squall had come even closer to being hurt or worse and Seifer had saved his ass and still he got no thanks? It was really getting on his nerves. Even though he was a man of pride and arrogance, Seifer had wanted to become a cop because he wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be able to help others even if it seemed weird for a person like him. He wanted to be acknowledged for saving people from fatal events. It had been his dream since childhood to take up a profession that would make him both badass and a hero and this job as a police officer was the best he had found. And now he had one person who couldn't find the decency to thank him and he found that was the worst kind of courtesy he could receive. Seifer was not above expressing how he felt.

"You have some nerve, not thanking me for saving your behind! The man gave me a good clobbering and I took it to make sure he didn't do worse to you. The least you could do is say thank you." Seifer retorted, pride obviously stinging from Squall's cold shoulder. He had dealt with people plenty that hadn't liked him and ignored him but nothing like this. This was the highest level of distaste and being ignored he had ever received. It hurt. Seifer didn't know what to do to get through this stubborn man, to get him to see that he shouldn't be so uptight and let him help and thank him for it. After all, if he hadn't been there, the murderer would have gotten Squall and had his way with him. Whatever that way was. "You owe me twice now and I don't think a thank you is enough now." He smirked, playing a bit dirty but he was in his rights. Squall had taken advantage of him saving his ass twice and now Seifer wanted something in return. And no it wasn't something sexual, despite how much of a sexual fiend Seifer could be.

Though his attention was snapped to the rose in Squall's fingers when the brunette spoke his last name seriously and held it out to him. Seifer reached out to take it, avoiding the thorns as he examined the flower. "I don't understand the significance of these." He muttered before he shook his head. "Well I think I have the name of the intruder. Irvine Kinneas, you recognize anyone by that name? Anyone that might have a vendetta against you?" He asked as he tossed the rose aside into a trash can. There wasn't much a rose could do for them at this moment. They had their suspect and all he needed to do was investigate further, to find the man's home and get possible evidence from there.

xxx

"Isn't it a part of your job?" Squall asked, not really caring if Seifer answered. Instead he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his hairbrush, running it through his chocolate colored locks. A delicate eyebrow rose as Seifer mentioned that Squall 'owed' him. He couldn't mean that... right? Turning around angrily to face the blond, the stripper's eyes narrowed. "I'm a stripper, not a whore, even if I am 'disgusting', as you so eloquently put it." He snapped, bringing up Seifer's insult from the night before.

Squall watched as the cop looked the rose over before tossing it into the trash, his attention focusing on the name Seifer had given for his prime suspect. "Irvine...? I'm not sure, I meet a lot of people," he replied quietly, looking down at the discarded flower. The name seemed to ring a bell in his mind, but Squall couldn't recall just why at the moment. He supposed it didn't matter, Seifer seemed fairly certain that this man was the killer, so whether Squall remembered him or not was of no real importance right now. What was really important to the brunette at the moment was getting out of this godforsaken strip club and going home.

The brunette pursed his lips as he continued studying the rose laying in the trashcan. He didn't know what it meant either; was it some sort of romantic gesture? Or perhaps the killer just thought it was unique or something. Squall didn't know, and he decided he didn't really care; he just wanted it to stop. Finally turning his attention back to Seifer, the stripper exhaled loudly and stepped back over to him. Maybe he should have thanked the cop for all of his help, after all, the man had saved his life two times now, had driven him home, checked his apartment, and he didn't seem like he was ready to abandon Squall to the murderer just yet. Squall pursed his lips together again as he stood in front of Seifer, defiant icy blue eyes locked onto Seifer's. "... Thanks." He muttered before turning his back on the blond again and making himself seem busy by gathering his wallet and other things together.

xxx

Seifer blinked when Squall snapped at him, wondering where he was getting the whore part from. Man, Squall had taken his words the wrong way. When realization hit, Seifer couldn't help but laugh out loud about it. "You're twisted, Leonhart, taking my words and switching them around. That's not at all what I meant, I'm a cop. I do have honor." And with that honor he wouldn't have picked up whores. But was a stripper the same kind of deal? Who knew and who cared. Right now Seifer had to focus on the general facts that Squall had had a second attack and that the killer was still on the loose. At least he had a name and with that name he'd get the address and head back there to scout it out for said Irvine Kinneas. Damn the man was quite sneaky and agile, able to get free of him. Seifer was reminded of that by the pounding in his cheek which he rubbed subconsciously. Little bastard would pay when he got his hands on him again and it would be soon too, he was damn sure about that. Though his attention flickered back to Squall when he repeated the man's name and gave him a bland answer. Well that was definitely no help but that ruled out there being a specific vendetta against Squall himself. "Okay...that leaves him just a heartless, mindless killer then."

Seifer was more taken aback when Squall stepped up to him, stared at him with those stubborn defiant eyes that shot ice cycles at him, had thanked him. It almost made him keel over in shock. It made him wonder if it was physically painful for Squall to say it. "So Squall does have a gratitude bone in his body? Well it's about time." He said even if it had just been the second 'rescue'. It was success in his opinion, getting Squall to say that one little word. It inflated Seifer's ego as he smirked and watched Squall packing up the rest of his things. Well it seemed Squall had every intention of heading home early now from what had happened. Seifer didn't blame him for that but he still wanted to keep an eye on the man. Rubbing his chin, he remembered calling Squall disgusting, having been reminded of that a few seconds before, and he knew he owed an apology to the stripper. Squall wasn't disgusting, just working for money in the only way he knew how. But Seifer wasn't a man who ever apologized and he'd be damned if he started now. No way was he ruining his image and becoming a sap over it. No, he'd apologize in his own way.

"Hey, how about I treat you to dinner?" Seifer offered. That was decent enough right? After all, he was sure Squall was hungry and he doubted many people treated Squall like this. Plus it would be his form of apology, by treating him and acting as if he hadn't meant what he said by Squall being disgusted. It also would give him the time to get to know Squall a little better AND keep an eye on him at the same time. Perfect plan, it worked out for the both of them. If Squall agreed of course and Seifer had a feeling Squall would turn him down. If so, he was a good match for he'd pester the brunette until he agreed. He was a bastard like that and always got his way. Leaning against the door frame to block the exit, he crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave Squall an expectant look. "And don't think you're leaving without giving me a good answer." Good answer being yes.

xxx

Squall snorted in response to Seifer and shook his head. Of course the blond would turn it around and make Squall seem like he was overreacting after the other had said something like that. How was Squall supposed to know what the cop had meant? Being an officer of the law meant nothing in the brunette's opinion; cops went dirty all the time. The stripper wasn't exactly excited to find out just what Seifer had had in mind though. "If you say so." He replied bluntly to Seifer's remarks about the killer. Squall really didn't care what the man's motivations were for attacking him, all he knew was that he wanted this 'Irvine' to be arrested immediately.

The stripper rolled his eyes in response as Seifer made a smart remark about him thanking the cop. Really, couldn't the asshole just be happy that Squall had even bothered to say it at all? The brunette was fairly certain he could feel Seifer's smirk as he gathered his things; that man was beyond irritating. Squall was already regretting having thanked him, especially if this was how the blond reacted. It was like dealing with a fifth grader. He really had to stop letting Seifer rescue him.

Squall froze in the middle of what he was doing as Seifer made his offer. Was the other serious? The stripper turned around and stared at Seifer as if the man had asked him in another language. Squall couldn't help but to notice how Seifer purposely blocked his exit from the room, and he mentally groaned. _'...Terrific._' The brunette pursed his lips and shot Seifer a withering glare. They may not have known each other all that long, but in the short time that they had, Squall had learned how futile it could be to argue with the blond sometimes. Seifer wanted a 'good' answer, one that Squall didn't particularly wish to give him, but the brunette decided to bite the bullet this time. "...I'm not dressed for dinner." He stated simply, not directly agreeing to the offer, but not rejecting it either. As much as Squall abhorred the thought of suffering through a meal with the arrogant prick across from him, he knew the blond wouldn't stop until he caved in, so Squall decided to just skip the headache this time, as surprising of a choice that that was, even to him. He just hoped that Seifer would at least take him someplace nice, after all, if he was stuck dining with the man, he wanted something good.

xxx

Seifer loved it when he won. It always made his day ten times better and the fact that Squall wasn't agreeing to the date but not refusing it felt like a victory to the scarred blond. Maybe Squall was slowly learning which was good for him, for he was sure they would be dealing quite a bit with each other. At least until the killer was captured and arrested. Though Seifer found he purposefully wanted that chase to last so that he could continuously pester Squall and have a reason for it. Smirking to himself at his own thoughts, he allowed his eyes to rove over Squall's body. "I'll bring you home so you can get dressed in a more comfortable outfit then we can just head to a nice little restaurant" By no means was Seifer cheap and with being cop he got a pretty decent discount so he didn't mind taking Squall to a fancy little restaurant, no matter the price. Plus it looked like Squall could use to gain a few pounds; he was pretty thin for a young man. Not that Seifer was calling himself fat but Squall was just so tiny that it gave Squall an erogenous look and he was sure Squall really didn't want that. Even though he himself didn't mind for he found it quite sexy but he'd feel better knowing that Squall ate a decent and filling meal. It was just good karma in his case and his way of apology and he knew he'd feel tons better that he had done something 'nice' for someone else that wasn't exactly because he was cop and it was required of him.

"So let's go, before you can think of a way to chicken out." Seifer chuckled as he jerked his head in a gesture towards the exit. After all, he didn't want Squall changing his mind on the last minute and being stubborn. He had gotten this far and he didn't want to lose that ground. They were making progress and maybe by tonight they could at least be civil acquaintances. Well decently civil for he liked the fire within Squall and didn't want to douse that...completely. Only a little so that he felt he got one over on Squall but that was about it. Seifer just liked to stay ahead of the game. Clapping Squall on the back, he strode out of the club with the brunette and smirked as he courteously and semi-mockingly held the door open for him before he went around to the driver's seat. Flicking the engine on, Seifer switched gears and took off down the main drag of the city, heading in the direction of Squall's apartment so he could change. Along the way, he called his station just to inform him of what had happened at the club and that he would be taking care of everything. He had the lead and he wanted to finish what he had started and didn't want anyone else to take care of it.

Pulling into Squall's lot, Seifer allowed him to go upstairs and change while he took down notes about other cases and incidents that were going on throughout the small town. Even though he wasn't taking care of them, he just liked to make note of what was going on. It was always a good idea for who knew if those incidents connected with a case somehow? There was always that possibility. Rubbing his forehead and stroking his scar, he shrugged and went to go retrieve Squall. Once again they were in his car and this time they were heading to the finer part of town. Near the ocean, Seifer found a nice seaside restaurant, definitely fancy. The inside was decorated with luxurious and expensive decor and statues as well as chandeliers. It was beautiful and with the ocean to gaze at while you ate was even better. Telling the waitress they wanted a table for two, Seifer followed her towards a window booth and took a seat, taking his menu from her. "Order anything you want, it's on me." He pointed out coolly as he gazed over the menu and what was on the special. Everything sounded delicious. Especially the grilled trout with a special spicy sauce with sides of garlic and chive mashed potatoes covered in thick gravy, fresh peppered green beans, and a roll. Licking his lips, he informed the waitress he wanted that with a soda pop. After all he was still on duty, so no alcohol.

xxx

Squall sighed and nodded as Seifer spoke, wondering to himself if this was really such a great idea. Maybe he should have just told the blond that he didn't feel well enough to go out. Who was he kidding, he knew Seifer would hassle him to no end unless he went to dinner with him. Going on this little 'dinner date' counted as his thanks for Seifer saving him though, so Squall figured he could put up with it if it meant he didn't owe Seifer anymore. Squall hated being indebted to anyone.

The brunette shot Seifer an annoyed glare as the other suggested he might chicken out; he wasn't some little baby who was too scared to go out to dinner with someone. "Whatever." He snapped and walked with Seifer out of the club. Squall snorted and rolled his eyes as the door was held for him; he really hoped Seifer was just joking around and didn't think this was some sort of romantic outing. He still hadn't forgotten how the blond had been watching him whenever he was on stage.

Squall didn't really pay attention as Seifer drove and made his phone call, he was too preoccupied with trying to look preoccupied by staring out the window at nothing in particular. The stripper would never admit it, but he was a little apprehensive about going up to his apartment alone after the attack earlier, but he managed to calm himself by telling himself that the killer was probably laying low after getting into the scuffle with Seifer. Once up stairs Squall quickly stripped off his clothes and dug around in his closet for something to wear. It wasn't like he was trying to impress Seifer or anything, definitely not, he just took pride in his appearance, especially when going to a nice restaurant. Eventually he found his nice black slacks and a deep blue silk shirt that he'd been told brought out his eyes beautifully; but it wasn't for Seifer's benefit, no way, it was just the first clean shirt he found in there. Once he was done dressing Squall followed Seifer back down to the car, secretly glad that he didn't have to walk alone, and climbed inside so they could head out to the restaurant.

When they parked at the restaurant, Squall's eyebrows rose ever so slightly in surprise; Seifer had actually brought him to a decent looking place. Once inside, Squall's eyebrows rose another notch; this place was fancy, definitely not what he had been expecting from the blond. '_Hnn... I guess I can make it through dinner,_' he told himself as they were led to the table. Squall nodded but didn't bother looking up as Seifer spoke to him; he was too distracted by the menu. Everything looked so tasty, but the steak had caught Squall's eye, who suddenly felt like a starved lion eying his next meal, not having realized how hungry he was until just now. Squall gave the waitress his order and asked for an iced tea, though he would have preferred something with alcohol after what had happened earlier, but he'd be damned if he got drunk and did anything stupid in front of Seifer.

Squall tapped his fingers lightly on the table as the waitress left to put in their orders and get their drinks. What was he supposed to say to the man across from him? The brunette was never one for small talk, or to talk much at all for that matter. Squall looked over at Seifer as if to say something, then pursed his lips and looked out across the restaurant instead. "..." The stripper sighed softly and unconsciously began tugging at the chain of the necklace that was tucked safely under his shirt, something he always did when he was nervous or just uncomfortable in a situation. For once he wished Seifer would just open his big fat mouth and say something.

xxx

Seifer hid his smirk when he saw Squall raise a brow in surprise at where he had taken him. It seemed the stripper had expected him to be a cheap jerk. Well it always nice to surprise and considering Squall was a person Seifer deemed unable to be surprised by a lot, he was sure this was a big thing. Letting it stroke his ego a bit, he settled himself comfortably at their booth and thanked the waitress for taking their orders. The air around the restaurant was lighthearted, calm, and upbeat relatively. The classical musical definitely set the tone and fit the atmosphere. There were people who looked more elegant and high class, some simple but suave, and then there was them. Seifer didn't mind for he wasn't exactly trying to impress anyone. He didn't have to wear anything special to do that because he had the face and the boyish good looks to make anyone weak in the knees around him. At least in his fair and honest opinion which he felt was ninety-nine percent correct most of the time. Smirking to himself, he looked from taking in their surroundings to looking across the table at Squall. So quiet all the time with the same blank and almost pained expression on his face as if it was so painstaking to be sociable for once. Maybe it was to Squall but with Seifer he'd have to be or at least get used to it.

"So have you ever been on a date before?" Surely Squall got hit on by plenty of people; men and women both and had to have offers to dinner, the works. Seifer wondered if Squall had turned them all down or had tried a few. Had Squall had a real relationship? Did he have someone right now? He was curious since Squall was close lipped about himself and Seifer was sure no matter how much he asked he wouldn't get satisfactory answers. Seifer didn't even know why he was interested in a man who barely spoke more than one word or half a sentence if it was needed. Or a man who thought 'whatever' was a great answer to anything. Just the sheer thought made him twitch in annoyance. Was it just because Squall was attractive? No, not even with how vain Seifer was, the looks weren't everything that had captured his attention. It was definitely how Squall gave him a challenge, dueled with him verbally which made things fun and irritating at the same time. What else could it be he couldn't think of and simply left it at that. Maybe Squall would just be a mystery to him forever.

"I don't think it would kill you to speak more than one or two words. After all, it will be rather excruciatingly boring to sit here in silence." Seifer pointed out as he sipped his soda and leaned back in his chair, free hand tapping against the table top. The sun was beginning to set outside, casting an orange-pink glow across the sky and reflecting off the ocean that rippled and distorted the image of the sun in its depths. It was beautiful if one was into nature. Seifer simply smiled and glanced back to Squall. "So how long have you been stripping? Is that the first job you had or a desperate choice?" Some people took it because they were just easy and enjoyed showing off their bodies to others, others did it for the money and because there was nothing else. So what was Squall's? To Seifer, he just couldn't see him willingly choosing to be a stripper. It had to be a last resort sort of thing.

xxx

Icy blue eyes snapped in Seifer's direction as the man asked his question. What kind of a thing was that to ask? "Of course I have." he said, his tone dark as if daring Seifer to challenge him. Granted, it had been quite a while since the brunette had been out with anyone, let alone on a date, but this wasn't his first time. Not that those dates ever amounted to much, but they still counted, at least in Squall's book. He was sure Seifer probably went out all the time, the guy probably had a boyfriend or girlfriend right now, Squall didn't know, and he didn't think that he really wanted to ask, but then again, he couldn't help but to be a little curious, not that he was going to let it show if he could help it.

Squall sighed quietly to himself as he sipped his drink, listening to Seifer speak. Why did he always have to hassle Squall about talking to him, about thanking him, about everything? The stripper wasn't used to someone intruding into his personal space, yet here Seifer was, continually stomping all over it. "...Whatever." He muttered, looking out the window at the sunset. He only looked back when the cop started in with yet another line of questioning. '_Maybe he should have specialized in interrogation,_' he thought to himself, shaking his head a little.

The brunette ran his fingertips around the rim of his glass for a few moments as he took in the questions. He didn't really want to answer, but the blond could probably easily look up the information with his police resources, and Squall didn't particularly enjoy the awkward silence at the table that was sure to take over if he said nothing. "...Since I was seventeen." He answered quietly, still staring into his glass. The brunette pursed his lips again, unsure if he should really tell the next part. It was his personal business after all, and wasn't something he enjoyed talking about. "...I needed the money," was all he said when he finally answered.

Taking a quick swig of his tea, Squall glanced up at Seifer and tried to change the subject. "Why did you become a cop?" He asked.

xxx

Seifer's head nearly banged his head against the top of the table when Squall muttered his ever favorite catchphrase. One day, he would rid Squall of that habit...if they continuously saw each other. How Squall had started to say that, he didn't know, but he'd like to find out just to somehow beat the person up who had caused him to start that. It was Hynedamn annoying. Shaking his head, he gave Squall a brief annoyed look before sipping his water. No, he wouldn't get angry. They were in a fancy restaurant, supposed to be in a happier mood, so he kept his comments to himself for once. Squall would surely appreciate that. But it didn't seem Squall wanted to play the cheerful table partner. Man was this guy moody, worse than a girl! Seifer thought he would never say that and now meeting Squall, he felt he would have much dealt with a bitch on her monthly cycle. Rubbing his forehead, he wondered how the hell he was ever going to understand this person and what got him was why he wanted to. Why did he? Squall was just a stripper, just one of the people he was supposed to keep safe, nothing more so why?

Though when Squall answered his question, Seifer frowned. Since he was seventeen? He didn't even know they allowed them to do that at that age. What would drive a seventeen year old to strip? Bad family life? Debts? He didn't understand. Even though he wasn't an old geezer looking down at how sad a youth was living his life, he still found it a bit rough to digest. "Seventeen? Needed the money for what? Where were your parents?" He blurted out despite himself, eyes narrowed a bit in thought. What parent allowed their son to go and flaunt himself in front of disgusting peepers just for money? Though he was an orphan and never experienced a life with parents, he just couldn't imagine what parent would do that. It was a personal question he knew but he wasn't the type to skirt around things just because it might hurt someone's feelings. He had learned a long time ago that if you got upset over every little thing, you were weak. That one needed to stronger and harsher to live in the real world hence why he was the way he was. No way was he ever going to be beaten down in any way even if it made him seem heartless and emotionless.

When Squall returned a question, Seifer smirked and sat back again. Well at least the other was participating. "Because I wanted a job of authority, a job where I could be respected and looked upon as a hero. Plus to straighten out my life." Seifer had been a total jackass and lawbreaker as a late teenager and becoming a cop had helped turn his life around. He was twenty-two now, not too long after that period of his life, but it was a better come around than some and he was proud of himself. His foster parents must have thought he would never amount to anything good, that he'd be the little bastard he had been then for always.

xxx

Squall sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and his thumb. He could feel the migraine coming on already. Why did Seifer have to question every little thing he did and said; couldn't the man just leave well enough alone? Squall didn't want to discuss this with the cop, hell, he didn't want to discuss it with anyone. Of course, ignoring the blond's questions wasn't going to work; he didn't need Seifer making a scene in the restaurant in front of everyone about it. The brunette sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers, his eyes scrunched closed in mild frustration. In all honesty, he was really starting to wish that he was back in the strip club right now. At least there he could lock his door and escape the other.

Taking another sip of his tea, Squall let his hand drop down to play with the chain on his necklace again before speaking. "For bills," he replied coolly, drumming the fingers of his free hand on the table lightly. "... I'm an orphan." He added quietly, looking off to the side again at the ocean. The brunette was already feeling like he'd spoken too much, told Seifer too much of his business. Squall was a person who never got close to anyone, let alone divulged any of his personal information to them, so it left him feeling slightly off to be doing so now, especially with a man he hadn't even known all that long. The stripper tugged at the chain of his necklace, wishing the waitress would bring them their food already; at least if Seifer was eating he couldn't keep questioning Squall.

Squall listened as Seifer explained his reasoning for becoming a cop, and he wasn't surprised in the least. Of course the man had done it for the glory of it all, no wonder he was always hassling Squall. It sounded like the perfect job for the blond, though the brunette's eyebrow cocked ever so slightly as Seifer mentioned straightening out his life. He found that he was mildly curious about what the other meant, but Squall wasn't going to ask him about it, that was probably just what the man wanted him to do. Instead he just gave a noncommittal shrug in Seifer's direction and took another sip of tea, playing it cool and collected like he always did.

xxx

Seifer could understand bills but someone was that desperate and needy to strip for that? There had to be more to it. When Squall announced he was an orphan, the scarred blond seemed to sober a bit and become thoughtful over his next choice in words. If Squall was an orphan then he would have had no one to guide him through life and express what the right way to go about things and the wrong ways were which would be a good reason why Squall would sink so low as to become a stripper to get by in life. As a cop, he believed it was a miserable way to have to life for it was so wrong and so degrading no matter how appealing and pleasing it was to the customers. Seifer had heard a lot from elder officers on their opinions of the matter, especially when it was young 'kids' doing it. Rolling his shoulders to work out the tension in them, he sighed and gave Squall a small understanding smirk. "Seems we got something in common there. I was an orphan too, raised by a foster family since no one cared to adopt me. I guess I was too mouthy for people." His eyes grew distant as he remembered his childhood and how put-off possible adopters were when they saw him. He chuckled dryly at how they used to shake their heads, whisper between themselves, then refuse to Matron. They had wanted more obedient and happy kids. Well Seifer definitely hadn't been one of those and being rejected like that over and over had turned his heart to steel, to protect what childish hopes, naivety, and innocence he had so as not to be broken.

Shaking his head at his own depressive thoughts, Seifer sipped his water and glanced towards Squall seeing him close-mouthed once more. The fact that Squall didn't seem all that interested in his story and simply shrugged it away made him frustrated. Seifer hated that, hated being turned down, turned away, and ignored. Squall had to have some sort of passion, why was he so afraid to show it? It was really annoying. Growling to himself, he thanked the waitress when their food was handed to them before he began to dig in. He was almost savage about it without being disgraceful or messy. Mostly because his thoughts had darkened as he felt dismissed by Squall. It irritated to him no end and worse, he wanted some sort of real acknowledgment from Squall. Any kind, not just praise, something. He wanted Squall to be interested, to initiate something, to show that he wasn't just here because of a free meal and because he had to. Not that Seifer had given him another choice but Squall had to have wanted to at least a little bit. Rubbing his forehead, he washed down the first bite of trout and potatoes with his water before he sat back and glanced to Squall, gaging him for a minute before he spoke.

"So who took care of you? A foster family or yourself?" Seifer asked, determined to get Squall to speak and open up. Maybe it was heartless to pursue a subject that was so sensitive but did he care? Not really. Sometimes it was those things that needed to be expressed to bring two people closer. How close he wanted to be with Squall he didn't know but he was curious about that. After all, being an orphan himself he felt some sort of connection even if Squall didn't feel it himself. This was going to be a long night it seemed and Seifer had high hopes that it would be a decent little evening for the two of them.


	8. Chapter Seven

Characters belong to Square-Enix.

Chapter 7.

This is a really long chapter. One, to make up for lack of updating and second, couldn't find a better place to break off at.

* * *

Squall couldn't help but to pick up on the change in demeanor in the man across from him when he'd mentioned being an orphan, so Seifer's next words didn't really surprise him much. "...I see." He replied quietly, choosing not to make the sarcastic remark about Seifer being 'mouthy', somehow it didn't seem appropriate at the moment, no matter how fitting it was of the blond. The brunette couldn't help but feel a strange, almost-connection with Seifer though once he learned that the other was an orphan, at least maybe now the other man would understand a little better and spare Squall the explanations. Squall found that he was a little curious to know when Seifer had become an orphan, he himself having never met his parents, but the stripper couldn't bring himself to ask. It went against his nature to ask someone else about their personal life, especially someone like Seifer, he might take it the wrong way, and Squall really didn't want to deal with him if he did. Instead the brunette focused on the table top, suddenly finding it extremely interesting, especially since it didn't ask questions of him, or make anything pop up into his mind without warning.

Nodding politely at the waitress as his food was brought; Squall turned his attention to cutting up his steak into neat, precise squares, which served as a wonderful distraction to the seemingly irate blond across the table. What had he done now? Squall had listened, hadn't made any rude remarks; what more did the cop want from him? The stripper wasn't about to break out a box of tissues and a gallon of ice cream and cry with Seifer, if that's what he was expecting. Squall finally put down his knife and ventured a glance across the table at Seifer, nearly flinching when he saw that the blond was looking back at him. '_Ugh... what did I do now?_' He wondered to himself as his own icy gaze locked with Seifer's.

Spearing a piece of the steak with his fork, Squall brought it to his lips, chewing on it as he waited for the other to speak. When the question came, it wasn't exactly what Squall had been expecting from the blond. "I took care of myself, and my sister," he replied . It wasn't until the words were already out of his mouth that the brunette scowled, realizing he'd said more than he'd intended to. It was one thing if Seifer wanted to poke around in his business, he could deal with that, but he didn't want the other snooping into hers, it wasn't any of his damned business. Shaking chocolate colored bangs out of his eyes, Squall sighed to himself and massaged the scar across the middle of his face; it always tingled when his migraine got worse, like it was right now. Grabbing his glass of tea, Squall took a sip as he waited for the barrage of questions he was sure that Seifer was going to release on him now, not that he could entirely blame the blond, it was his own fault for not being more careful with his words.

xxx

Seifer didn't know why he didn't write off Squall as a useless case for Squall showed no interest in trying to get to know him better over dinner. Squall didn't ask questions, answered as short and simple as he could, and stayed quiet otherwise. A pretty bland date by the quotas of the dating book but Seifer found himself unable to toss in the towel yet. Maybe it was his ever constant need to 'win' and succeed, his motto being never give up no matter what, or something deeper, more meaningful, but either way he wasn't ready to give up yet. It wasn't just because Squall was a victim and in danger, that was far from it. Seifer had just hoped a nice little dinner like this between the two of them would ease Squall a bit and help him open up but he guessed he was wrong. At least he was getting answers though, no matter how brief and bland they were. The cop just couldn't believe his luck. The person he was slightly interested in was a man of few words with a cold personality that could give a person frostbite just looking at him. But if Squall was the ice, Seifer was the fire and eventually the fire would melt the ice and there would be even ground between the two of them, he was sure of it. Both of them being orphans was definitely a good beginning, something they both had in common and could share in some manners as well as understand.

Though Seifer's interest was piqued again when Squall spoke about a sister. Well wasn't that news, he hadn't thought Squall had had a sister with how he said he had no family. But then again it was rare for siblings to be apart no matter if they were orphans. It was an even better reason for them to stick together. Smirking to show that he wasn't about to let Squall go now that he had given him a piece of meat to chew on, he folded his hands under his chin and leaned forward as he gazed at the brunette, "So you have a sister. That's nice. What's her name? What is she like? Hopefully nothing like you, for I don't think the world could handle that." He teased, chuckling deeply before he sat back and went back to eating. His mind was already formulating assumptions that he knew were probably wrong. If it was just Squall and Ellone it was kind of reasonable Squall would take any job he could get. Was Squall younger or older? He was curious and wanted to know it all for it would help him understand better why Squall had chosen to be a stripper of all things.

Cleaning his plate until there was barely even a crumb on it, Seifer wiped his mouth and hands clean before he eyed Squall, "I'm sorry that I'm asking so many questions, but I can't help it that I want to know more about you. After all, you are someone I'm supposed to protect." By his facial expression it showed that he wasn't really all that apologetic, that he was simply saying it to ease Squall's mind but Seifer did feel a bit guilty that he was pestering Squall. It seemed like a sore subject with Squall but Seifer had never been one to know when the line was crossed so he simply kept pushing forward with it, seeing what reactions he got and seeing what information he could pull from it. There were really no bad intentions, just simple curiosity.

xxx

Squall looked around the restaurant at all of the happy couples and groups there. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their dinner, in fact, he was probably the only one there with a scowl on his face, but somehow the brunette couldn't bring himself to loosen up and relax. Something about the blond across from him made him confused and annoyed and intrigued all at the same time, and the only way to ignore it and get through this was to bury it under a cold and uncaring demeanor. Not that Squall generally cared much for anyone else, but even he couldn't help but to notice Seifer's disappointment in the evening. The stripper knew that he at least owed it to the man to make dinner enjoyable, after all, Seifer had saved him more than once now, but Squall still couldn't seem to open up, his natural introversion fighting against any notion of being personable and even friendly with the cop. Even now, Squall didn't quite understand why Seifer still even bothered with him. Most people gave up by now and left the brunette alone, but not Seifer. No, Squall had a feeling it would take a lot more to push the cop away for good, and he wasn't sure if he was up to the task. Though if he had to admit it, deep down, it was kind of nice that at least one person actually wanted his attention and not just his body, and wasn't willing to give up on him, even if it irritated Squall to no end.

The smirk wasn't lost on Squall, and he knew then that'd he'd dug himself a hole he couldn't get out of. Sighing quietly to himself, Squall just shrugged at Seifer's first remarks. "... Ellone." He answered quietly, taking a bite of his steak. What was she like? Squall just shrugged again, ignoring the crack about her being like him. "We're not that alike." The stripper replied, his lips pursing together in thought. He hadn't spoken to her in days, all of this commotion with the stripper murderer and Seifer and everything else had distracted him. Feeling a little guilty, Squall resolved to give her a call tomorrow and check on her, it was about time that her medical bills for the month were due anyways, maybe he could pay her a visit... if he could ever shake Seifer off. He wasn't sure he wanted the man meeting Ellone, she'd probably tell him embarrassing stories about Squall or something worse. Squall picked up his glass and took a sip of his tea, watching the man across from him. Seifer looked like he was thinking about something, perhaps what the brunette had said, or perhaps Squall was too boring and the cop was entertaining himself, Squall had no idea.

The brunette finished the rest of his meal in silence, grateful for the opportunity to just relax and enjoy it. Squall blinked as Seifer apologized, that wasn't really something he'd expected to hear, though the look on the other man's face conflicted with what he said. Squall knew Seifer didn't go around asking everyone he had to protect about their families, or take them out to dinner... Squall didn't think Seifer was the type of person to get so involved in someone else's life unless he had a good reason to. Was Squall a good reason though? The brunette wasn't entirely sure he was, but with the blond, who knew. "...It's fine," he said quietly, glancing out the window where it was now fairly dark outside. Squall drummed his fingers on the table lightly and turned back to Seifer. "... Is that the only reason why?"

xxx

Seifer tried to think if he recognized someone by the name of Ellone but couldn't recall if he did or not. He met plenty of people and half the time he couldn't remember their names. It was possible he might have come across her at some point in his living here in Balamb but there was no one hundred percent surety in that. It was just interesting to hear that Squall had a sister and wasn't completely the loner and selfish person he seemed for he obviously cared about Ellone enough to take care of her. So the guy did have feelings, they were just deep, deep, in there and only came out for those close to him...which didn't seem many. That wasn't surprising considering Squall's personality but Seifer wasn't going to let that stop him. Rarely anything did but this wasn't mere business now. This was more personal. "Good, only need one pouty princess." He winked at Squall as he ran his bun over his gravy covered plate to absorb it up and eat it before finishing off his water, ordering a second glass, and leaning back. Even though he wanted to ask more about Ellone he decided he had dug enough into Squall's personal life for the evening. There would always be a chance to seek more information if he could convince Squall to come on more dinner dates with him. After all, it seemed Squall needed some sort of social life even if it was just with him. But Squall would probably be a tough nut to crack after this since it wouldn't be so 'he owed him for it' kind of thing. Next time when he asked, if he did, he hoped Squall agreed out of his own free will for Seifer, though he was probably the biggest asshole in the world, also wanted Squall to be an equal participant and actually want to do it.

After his question, Squall's answer took Seifer off guard for a second before he composed himself. It actually surprised him to hear such a question from Squall and if Seifer didn't know better there was an underlying reason beneath that question. He was sure if he dug deeper into it he'd figure it out but he decided to take it at face value. The fact that Squall was asking him in the first place was good enough for him. For now. Deciding it was best to be honest considering Squall would respect that more he was sure, Seifer stretched his arms above his head as he spoke casually, as if it wasn't a big deal, "Would it be so horrible to say that I'm somewhat attracted to you? Not just because you're a stripper or someone I have promised to protect because it's my job." He said in all seriousness, eying Squall to douse his reaction. There was no love or like, just simple attraction that he wanted to see if it went anywhere. Squall, despite his damned quiet nature, was interesting enough. The mystery that Squall held about himself was also rather intriguing that made Seifer want to crack that case and find out Squall's deep dark secrets and find out what was hidden underneath that cold hard shell of ice that Squall kept around himself so tightly. There had to be some way to melt it.

Seifer shrugged his shoulders after a moment and smirked, "Want any dessert before I ask for the bill?" He asked, making sure that he paid attention to Squall's needs. After all, if he wanted to score a second date he had to be somewhat civil and nice. Wasn't it common practice to have tasty desserts on a date? Toying with the thought, he just simply waited to hear Squall's answer before he decided on if he wanted something more or not. Not only that, he wondered what Squall's thought on his statement would be. Would Squall think he was stupid? Ridiculous even? Maybe even weird? Seifer couldn't see any wrong in having an attraction; it wasn't like he was professing love that didn't exist. If Squall realized that, would he return anything? Seifer wondered if he would be sorely rejected which wouldn't be a surprise since that seemed to be the bane of his relationships. They never seemed to last long which was somewhat his fault but that was beside the point.

Xxx

Squall had never been more thankful that his sister didn't live that close to him than he was now. At least Seifer would have a harder time tracking her down, if the blond decided to be nosy about it. The brunette wondered to himself why he was so concerned about Seifer meeting his sister, after all, he barely knew the man, and even if he was worried that Seifer would learn his secrets, he didn't really think Ellone would tell the blond anything she knew Squall wouldn't want her to. So why was he so concerned? Squall refused to acknowledge the real reasons he was so apprehensive about it, that if Squall brought Seifer with him, what Ellone would think, since the brunette never brought anyone on those visits. He didn't want to think about what conclusions she might jump to, what questions she might ask Squall that he just didn't have an answer to. "Whatever." He scowled slightly in response to Seifer's smart remark, but it didn't have his usual edge to the word. At least it seemed like the man across from him had given up on questioning Squall, something the stripper was immensely thankful for. Talking about himself unsettled the brunette, and he hated not being in control of his situation or himself like that.

The brunette studied Seifer's reaction to his question. Squall had even surprised himself by asking it, but the urge to know was stronger than his urge to seem aloof and distant. His stomach knotted slightly as he waited to hear Seifer's answer, though why he was so nervous, even Squall didn't know. When the answer came, the brunette found himself unsure how to react to it. Was it 'horrible'; he didn't know. Squall wasn't sure how he felt about it at all. People didn't usually tell him such things as bluntly as that, usually they were lying and smooth-talking him to get into his pants. As uncomfortable as the answer made him, Squall felt the overwhelming need to hear more, and despite his own efforts to resist, he couldn't help but to ask. "... Then why?" He mumbled, looking down at the table uncomfortably. The stripper wasn't used to being in this position; it made him feel slightly cornered, like a spotlight was on him even though it was just himself and Seifer. He didn't like it, he just wanted to escape, but Squall refused to run out of this restaurant just because he couldn't handle an answer he'd requested himself.

Squall let out a tiny sigh of relief when the blond broke the tension by asking if he wanted dessert. Normally the brunette wasn't one for sweets, but it had been a long week, and right now something sugary might be a nice distraction. He nodded in response, not trusting his voice to answer at the moment. He still didn't know what he thought about Seifer's admission, but at least he knew the truth now, instead of just going off his own suspicions about what the blond was after. And maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, at least Seifer seemed to actually care about his well-being, though Squall still wasn't sure how comfortable he was with that. For now he just decided to enjoy the meal for what it was, he could worry about the details later.

xxx

It seemed Squall had more amazement up his sleeve for here he was asking why. There was obvious uncomfortableness in Squall's posture from asking such a personal question but Seifer could also see a brief flicker of interest. It seemed Squall didn't get many people to actually like him, just those who wanted a quick fuck. Not that Seifer was all against sex and wouldn't deny that he had done that with a few people on lonely nights but they had been in agreement on it being just a one night thing. No Seifer was a man of substance and even he could appreciate liking someone. No matter how much of an asshole he was. This time there was something more Seifer liked about Squall and it wasn't just a desire for his body. It was still too soon to tell but Squall had intellect and smarts unlike most of the people around here and that was why he was interested in getting to know Squall more. Not just for his job but on a more personal, intimate basis. It wasn't just him trying to pry into Squall's life just because he was nosy person (even if that was a big reason) but because Squall's personality left him wanting more and that was something new for Seifer. New experiences always made him stick around longer. But to answer that question, he mulled over for a few as he glanced at the menu decide what to have for dessert before he actually spoke.

"The why...well all I can say is you are different from all the people I've met. I've met antisocial people before but none like you. You challenge me which I quite enjoy if you can't already tell and even though your cold shoulder act pisses me off it also turns me on." Seifer said as he smirked over at Squall. "And not just the physical turn on. It's just something new to me. I'm used to people easily giving me what I want, you don't. You being attractive plays a big part and you are not one of those whiny damsel in distresses that I have to protect. Kudos for that." So far that was why he was interested. He was sure once he got to know Squall more, there would be more to add onto it but he figured that would suffice as an answer. For now. Things would progress and the future would tell if anything would develop between them, a friendship or more, or if they would separate one day for good. Seifer was just willing to take it at face value and live it day to day and see what happened. He wasn't big on trying to know what the future held as long as there was one.

When the waitress came over, Seifer ordered them both a small slice of mousse cake and another cup of water and tea. The waitress smiled at them both as if having an understanding they didn't know about before she left. Seifer eyed her for a second before he shrugged and looked back to Squall. Despite that he stayed quiet, just allowing his mind to mull over the evening's events. Tomorrow would be a long day of tracking Irvine down with all the evidence he had in the bag now. He just hoped he caught the man tomorrow so that they didn't have to worry about his threat any longer. It was getting tiresome and he knew if he didn't get caught the next time he went after Squall could possibly be the last. First time missing understandable, second time luckiness, third time Irvine wouldn't let happen. Seifer knew that much and that was what worried him more. Rubbing his scar, he sighed. "I probably won't be able to visit you tomorrow. I'll be busy trying to capture this Kinneas fellow but you'll have my number so if anything happens you can call." He said; his voice and expression serious. After all this was no playing matter.

xxx

Squall shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his question hanging in the air and leaving him wishing he could grab the words and stuff them back into his mouth. He was certain that Seifer could see how uncomfortable he was, which only served to agitate Squall even more; he didn't want the blond thinking that he was getting under his skin, it made him feel vulnerable in a way that he hated. The stripper fiddled with his necklace chain while he waited for Seifer's answer. When the words came, once again Squall was left unsure how to feel about them. No one had ever said anything like that to him before; he knew that the other seemed to relish in the challenge Squall presented, but to hear the man's feelings on the matter laid out in front of him like this was something entirely different. The brunette had never been playing hard to get, and it seemed like Seifer understood that it wasn't some game to Squall, and it made him feel slightly better about the situation. It seemed like maybe, just maybe, the other was interested in him, though Squall absolutely refused to acknowledge that it made him less annoyed and maybe even a little more interested in the other. He didn't want a relationship with anyone; he didn't need one, especially not with some arrogant bastard who swooped around playing the hero all day. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

The waitress's odd smile caused Squall to wrinkle his nose slightly, he hated when people did that; laughing about something to themselves or just making some weird assumption that was probably wrong. As long as the woman didn't make any stupid remarks, or ask them how long they'd been dating, then he would be fine. The brunette had been toying with his chain again when Seifer mentioned his plans for tomorrow; it was as if Hyne himself had finally decided that Squall deserved a break. "I have plans for tomorrow." He replied, making it clear that he wouldn't miss the blond at all. Squall didn't show it, but in his mind, he felt a bit uneasy at the fact that Seifer wouldn't be lurking around; he could only hope that the time would be well spent and that the cop would make an arrest in the case. The stripper wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this, looking over his shoulder all the time, but most of all, he was concerned about Ellone. Squall would never forgive himself if the killer went after his sister just to get at him, since the maniac seemed determined to take Squall out.

Squall glanced around the restaurant, taking in all of the faces. What if the killer was here, watching them? Squall figured he was fairly recognizable, there weren't too many men walking around town with scars stretching across their faces. No one seemed to be paying him and Seifer any mind though, so the stripper let his gaze wander back to the man across from him. '_You can't depend on him for everything, you have to protect yourself,_' he chided himself in his mind, sighing quietly as he sipped his tea. "..."

xxx

Seifer was sure that if Squall could do it, he'd live his life alone, as a little hermit in his own world. But that wasn't how things went, not in Seifer's world at least. How could someone want to spend the rest of their life alone? Even though Seifer did have a tendency to hate humanity, he didn't hate it enough where he would detach himself from it. But he wasn't going to bring that fact up to Squall; he would just let nature take its course. If he could manage to get Squall to continue on a few dates, open him up more, and gain a bit of interest, he would call that a success. Who knew what could happen, maybe a good friendship, maybe even a relationship on a more intimate level. Either one would be good in his book for he would call that a score into Squall's black cold heart. Of course it felt weird to bear his feelings towards Squall and not have Squall say something along the same likes in return but he took it at face value. He'd just wait until Squall could honestly tell him he liked him, if that would ever actually happen, until then he'd continue to pester the brunette. After all, it was his job and personal interest and he was sure Squall didn't mind half as much as he made it out to be.

Hearing that Squall had plans tomorrow, Seifer's lips curled into a grin. Not that he was calling Squall a liar but it seemed Squall was eager with the fact that he'd be caught up in work to visit him and to make sure said he'd be busy. It amused him that Squall wanted to be left alone by him so badly but he would give the man his wish, for now, and then come a'calling when it was the right time. There was no guarantee that he'd catch the killer tomorrow (though he was praying he did) and if not, the killer would continue to go after Squall which would then require his presence in the situation. Seifer was pretty sure Squall would prefer him over any other subordinate cops he would send in replace of himself anyways. Especially since they had already been in contact and had a small understanding of one another. Even if it wasn't full agreement or eye-to-eye terms. Seifer simply worked with what he had and then if more was given, he'd work with that too. "Well seems you are saved from my painful presence." It was half playful mock but half serious taunt. Seifer did feel pangs of hurt whenever he was rejected or it was made to seem like people didn't want him around. It made him believe that he was such a terrible person when he tried not to be. He just couldn't help but be an asshole to protect himself. It was either that or get hurt.

Seifer frowned at his thoughts before he waved it off. They were unnecessary and he wasn't going to pity himself. Their dessert was brought over to them promptly after they had ordered it and Seifer ate it at a much slower vigor than he had eaten his actual dinner. It wasn't just to savor the delicious taste of the chocolate mousse but also to prolong the date, even if Squall had fallen silent once more. Seeing Squall look around almost nervously, Seifer smirked and glanced around as well. "Don't worry, Leonhart, if he was here I'd know. And if he tried anything, I have my gun on me." He informed Squall to quell his rattled nerves.

xxx

Squall wasn't sure what Seifer was thinking. How would he have reacted if he'd confessed to the other and Seifer had just stayed quiet? The brunette didn't want to think about it, he refused to acknowledge that he would have any reason to confess anything to the cop. He couldn't, there was just no way, nothing there to confess. Squall tried to convince himself that he was just emotional from all of the recent events and because it was Seifer who had saved him. It was nothing special, just confusion and trauma mixing together to cloud his judgment and mess with his mind. He'd gone to dinner with the blond, paid his debt, and he didn't give a damn that he wouldn't see the blond tomorrow; though that didn't explain why he suddenly felt a small bout of resentment creeping up. After all, how could the blond just ditch him like that; Squall was a target and what if while Seifer was off chasing down leads, the killer decided to make a move? Of course that excuse for why he was upset was pathetic, even to his own mind, but he refused to admit anything more. '_Damn it, get a hold of yourself,_' he snapped mentally at himself, gritting his teeth together slightly in frustration. Squall took his agitation out on his napkin, crumpling it up angrily and tossing it onto the table, wishing he could do the same with his brain right now.

The brunette rolled his eyes as he saw that all too familiar grin creeping back onto Seifer's face. That bastard always looked so smug, like he'd just figured out some secret about Squall that he could use against him; the stripper hated it, he just wanted to punch the man in his face sometimes. "...Whatever." He shrugged, not even bothering with his own smart remark. It wasn't worth another migraine to play mind games with the man, Squall really would storm out of the restaurant if he did. The brunette had to wonder just how serious Seifer was though, his answers said that nothing fazed him, but surely something had to be getting to him. He'd already admitted that Squall frustrated him, but it frustrated the stripper to see how easily he brushed his coldness off. Squall had never met anyone like Seifer; no one that pissed him off like the blond, or made him want to bash his head through the window like the other, yet Squall found himself sitting through an entire dinner with the man, and even staying for dessert. It was... odd, to say the least, but Squall found that he didn't really want to leave, aside from the mild frustration that Seifer's big mouth was giving him, but even the effects of that had begun to lessen. Only slightly though, Squall still wanted to punch him.

Thankful that the waitress left them in peace, Squall picked up his fork and sampled the dessert Seifer had ordered for them. It seemed like the blond had pegged his tastes fairly well, the mousse cake was delicious and Squall found himself thinking that he'd have to remember it for the future. The brunette glanced up quickly, steel blue eyes widened slightly in surprise. He hadn't realized that Seifer had been watching him, not to mention that the blond had read his mind easily. Though his words did make Squall feel slightly better, easing some of the tension from him. "...Hnn," he mumbled and nodded before returning to his dessert. Nearly finished, Squall began to feel a little restless. Soon their 'date' would be over, and he would have to go home all alone. He thought that he should feel safe there, but after what had happened in his dressing room, the stripper found that he was more than a little apprehensive about being left alone. Maybe he could get Seifer to check the apartment over for him before he left. Maybe, if he could bring himself to ask, though the very notion made Squall annoyed at himself for being such a baby and being worried about it.

xxx

Seifer was tempted to tell Squall not to be so enthused about it before he simply shrugged it off. Might as well save his breathe. Squall was doing enough of that for the both of them though. Smirking to himself, he kept himself occupied by slowly eating his cake while also keeping an eye on their surroundings. After all it was possible that the killer could be there in hiding and waiting though Seifer couldn't imagine why he would try anything in such a public place such as this. It would cause him too much hassle and the owner would have the cops on him in a second. No, he doubted the killer would be here to try anything. He'd probably wait until Squall was home alone which unnerved him but he said nothing. It made him almost tempted to stay posted outside Squall's apartment but he was sure Squall wouldn't appreciate that. Already making up his mind to at least check Squall's apartment out whether he asked for him to or not, he finished off his cake, wiped his mouth, and asked for the check. He knew it would be a relatively high price but it was a good thing he was one of the higher ups in the station and got a decent paycheck. More than enough to get by smoothly without issue. Smoothing his hand through his hair, he took out his wallet and wrote a check for the amount on the bill before he sat down a tip and rose to his feet. A quick stretch and he was ready to go. Of course he wasn't exactly eager to drop Squall off and go, knowing the man was in danger but he couldn't stall any longer.

"Guess I better get you home. Don't want you staying up past your bedtime, princess. You need your beauty sleep." Seifer smirked as he winked towards Squall and drew out his keys. Jingling them in between his fingers, he walked with Squall out of the restaurant and into his squad car. Once both of them were inside and buckled up, he turned the vehicle on and slowly pulled out of the restaurant. The small town was lit up by street lamps and the glow from the moon and stars, giving the town an almost ethereal look. It wasn't the largest or the most advanced and beautiful cities in the world but it had its own grace and beauty that made it unique. Plus it was relatively peaceful and the rates of criminals were relatively low. Outside of course this serial killer that he hadn't yet managed to catch. Just thinking about it made him grit his teeth. He really needed to hurry up and put that man in jail. The sooner the better for the safer everyone would be. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he veered into Squall's apartment lot and parked. "I'm going to look around your apartment before I go." It was an order, not a request.

Getting out of the vehicle, Seifer gave Squall a nod for him to lead the way before he went inside and stood in the elevator as it brought them up to the right floor. When it stopped and the doors dinged open, he stepped into the hallway and fingered the gun at his hip. Always better to be ready for the worst. As Squall moved to unlock the door, he stepped inside once it was open. His sharp eyes examined the dark living room before he crept forward; looking for any shadows that seemed out of place. Moonlight gave the room some light to help him as he wandered the expanse of the suite. After searching every room and every closet and possible hiding spot, he determined it safe. Sighing, he lowered his gun and walked up to Squall with a tenseness in his face. "I don't see anyone but that doesn't mean it won't change. Here is my number just in case. I'm just a phone call away." He reminded Squall as he slipped the brunette his card with his information on it. "Don't hesitate to call, no matter what time it is." He just wanted to make Squall feel secure before he left.

xxx

Squall nibbled at his cake in small bites, watching Seifer check out the restaurant. He figured as long as the cop was keeping an eye on their surroundings, then he should be fine; after all, it was Seifer whose reflexes had been fast enough to pull him off of the stage the first time. Squall finished his dessert shortly after Seifer did, picking up his crumpled up napkin he'd thrown down earlier and wiping his face and hands with it. The stripper stood up as well when Seifer paid the check and made it clear he was ready to leave. Icy blue eyes narrowed as the blond just had to slip in a smart remark towards Squall. "Whatever." He snapped, pushing his chair in. Squall hated being called things like 'cutie', 'princess', or anything else that made him sound like a girl; it was something patrons at the strip club did all the time and it pissed him off to no end.

The brunette just shook his head slightly and followed Seifer out of the restaurant, feeling somewhat relieved to be out of there and on his way home. Squall hadn't realized how tired he actually was, and dinner had taken the last of his energy to make it through. He buckled his seat belt and leaned back into the passenger seat of Seifer's car, staring out the window as the blond started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot. Tired gray eyes took in the city lights as they drove by, leaving Squall feeling extremely drowsy and out of sorts. He blinked in surprise, having been startled from his half-sleep when Seifer parked the car and spoke to him. The brunette could only stare back at the other for a moment before his brain processed what the man had said, Squall finally just nodding in response to Seifer's order. He was thankful that once again, the blond had managed to read his mind and was sparing him the awkwardness of asking the cop to search his apartment himself.

Squall unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the car to join Seifer. He led the other inside and into the elevator, making the trip up to his floor in silence. He didn't know what to say to the man, this trip wasn't like the first time the other had brought him home; the air felt thick with an unseen tension, mostly on Squall's end. Luckily the trip was short and soon enough they were standing outside of Squall's apartment while the stripper unlocked the door. He waited for Seifer to check out the front room and move into another before he stepped inside from the hall, not wanting to stay out there alone either. Squall felt a little uneasy at the look on Seifer's face, it wasn't something that inspired confidence in him, but rather made Squall feel like Seifer felt like it was a bad idea for him to be there alone. As much as he hated to admit it, if Seifer didn't feel like it was safe, then Squall had to agree, after all, Seifer was the cop, the one with experience in this sort of thing. He didn't protest though, taking the card offered to him with pursed lips and a curt nod at the blond. Squall really hoped he wouldn't have to call the man, even if it was just a false alarm, he actually feared that more than calling Seifer for a legitimate reason, knowing he'd probably never hear the end of it.

Squall looked around the room again before his eyes landed back on Seifer. What was he supposed to say now? The brunette had never been good in these types of situations, not that his current circumstances could even compare to anything that he had ever experienced before, but he still felt like he was obligated to say something. Still, his conscience was nagging him to at least say thank you, so the stripper cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. Unfortunately for Squall, his mind froze up at that moment and nothing came out, leaving him standing there awkwardly. '_Ellone would know what to do._' He sighed to himself, biting his lip slightly at the thought. His sister would tell him to be polite and thank Seifer for all of his trouble, but he really didn't want to. Words like that rarely sounded natural coming from Squall, he never relied on anyone else for anything, therefore he never had to say thank you or please to anyone. Finally, Squall gathered his resolve and faced Seifer again. "... Thanks for dinner." He said, staring at the man with an uncomfortable expression on his face before he quickly shut the door in Seifer's face.

xxx

Even though he had checked every possible place that the killer could be hiding in and had found no one, Seifer hated feeling so unsure. After all, he could leave and the killer could pop up then. It was never something a cop wanted to feel. He was tempted to call one of his buddies to stand watch outside the apartment but he doubted Squall would appreciate that. Rubbing the back of his head, he was at least glad that Squall now had his number just in case. Hopefully Squall could swallow his pride when it came to calling. After all this was more serious than a game of pride. But for now, they would just have to play the waiting game until tomorrow. If they got through this night without any problems, they would be fine for Seifer would be hunting Irvine down, arresting him, and everything. Once Irvine was locked up then Squall and all the other strippers would be safe. That was all he could do to not just ask Squall if he wanted to come to his place and stay the night. Even though he was tempted to, he wasn't going to overstep his boundaries. They had just gotten on some even ground and he didn't want to destroy that before they could get anywhere with it. No he would just have to wait and see what happened.

As he stepped out into the hall and turned to say good-bye to Squall, Seifer found himself thanked and a door in his face. Well that was one way to thank him. "You're welcome. Bastard." He hissed out the last part before he shrugged and adjusted the collar of his coat. Shaking his head, he turned and walked down the hallway to the elevator. Well this had been an interesting evening. Just thinking about the dinner made him smirk. It seemed he had chipped some of that ice away. If he kept at it like this then he was sure he could make it melt away even more. Well it seemed he had more of a goal than he thought he did and he was just going to see how things went. Taking the elevator down, he left the building and entered his car. As he was about to start the car, he pursed his lips and grabbed up his cell and dialed the station number. When one of the officers picked up, he informed him that he wanted an officer to check on this apartment every few hours to make sure no one suspicious came near it. Feeling like he had made the right decision, he pulled away and headed home.

Once home, Seifer washed up and pulled together a few necessary documents and information then changed and climbed into bed. He didn't realize how tired he was until he laid down in his bed. It made him realize he needed a long good day off. Well that would have to wait until this case was solved. Running his finger over his scar, he slid under the comforter and pressed into the thickness of his pillows. With his cellphone on and charging right next to his bed, Seifer closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Of course his sleep could easily be interrupted for he had taught himself how to stay alert while even asleep. He was a cop and he had to keep on his toes no matter what.


	9. Chapter Eight

Characters belong to Square-Enix.

Chapter 8.

Cuzosu; Glad you enjoyed it. This chapter will definitely make up for the no-action in the last chapter. :)

Hopefully this chapter will be long as well. Enjoy.

* * *

Squall placed Seifer's card on his bedside table and changed out of his dinner clothes, tossing the discarded garments into the laundry hamper before he grabbed a pair of gray sleep pants and a white t-shirt. He pulled on the shirt and pants and collapsed on his bed, staring at the card the other had given him. He had said to call at any time, but Squall was determined to never call. The sooner Seifer caught the killer, the sooner he would be out of Squall's life and the stripper wouldn't have to think about him anymore. He knit his brows together, scowling slightly as he picked up the card. Why was he thinking about him now? Even when he was alone and at home, the blond just had to shove his way into his thoughts, and it pissed Squall off. With an angry huff he tossed the card back onto the table and climbed under his covers; he needed sleep badly after so much excitement, and he wasn't about to let Seifer steal another minute of his time.

The brunette wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he heard it; a faint sound coming from the direction of the front room. His eyelids fluttered open a bit, taking a moment to focus in the darkness. He could barely see anything in the room, the only source of light being what streamed in through the window from a streetlight nearby. Squall immediately froze as he thought he saw movement in the direction of his bedroom doorway that led out into the front room. Panic gripped him and he wasn't sure what to do, his phone was too far to reach without alerting whoever was out there that he was awake, so instead Squall closed his eyes most of the way and shook his bangs in front of his face, pretending to be asleep, in case the person had a gun and decided to shoot him if he ran. The stripper figured he'd have a better chance if he could at least see any weapons the intruder had before he tried to escape.

Squall didn't have to wait long, the intruder quickly but quietly made their way through his bedroom door, closing it behind him and locking it. That's when Squall saw it; the blade glittering in the light from the window. '_Just stay calm, just shove him out the way and run_,' he told himself, doing his best to control his breathing and appear asleep as the killer approached. He would have to time this just right, catch the person off guard, and make his escape. Squall felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest; he'd never been this scared in his life. He waited, gripping the edges of the covers as the killer crept closer to his bed, the knife raised, poised the strike. Hyne, where was Seifer when you needed him?

It felt like time had slowed down, Squall watching as the blade began its descent towards him. The brunette quickly pushed himself back across the mattress and dove off of the other side where he grabbed the closest thing to him, a lamp, and threw it at the man. The killer didn't have time to dodge the lamp because he was so distracted by his knife being stuck into the mattress instead of Squall, so the lamp hit him squarely in the head. Whether it was adrenaline or something else fueling him, the killer didn't seem too badly phased by the hit and jumped onto the bed, lunging for Squall. The stripper just barely managed to slide out of the way, but not before the killer got a grip on his ankle and pulled him back, taking a swipe with the blade, leaving a gash on Squall's side. The wound would have been much worse if Squall hadn't kicked the man, for it was clearly a male, in the face right then, and caused him to lose his grip. Ignoring the pain, he quickly clawed his way across the floor and tried to scramble to his feet.

Squall stumbled towards the door but didn't make it there as he was tackled from behind and crashed to the floor. He wrestled with the killer, struggling to keep the blade away from his throat as the man swiped at him again and again, trying to overpower him. The stripper knew that he was fighting a losing battle, this man was bigger and stronger than he was, but he couldn't die like this, not here, not now, Ellone still needed him. Squall growled and used every ounce of strength he had to slam his fist into the man's face before twisting his body and throwing the man off of him enough that he could jump to his feet. The front was no longer an option as the killer was climbing to his feet between Squall and the door, so the brunette immediately ran for his window, snapping open the locks and forcing it up. He heard the killer hiss behind him as he wrenched the window open and tried to throw himself out onto the fire escape. Squall was only half out of the window when the killer grabbed him by the legs and tried to pull him back in. He kicked his legs wildly, ignoring the cuts now covering his legs and torso from the knife as the killer stabbed at him with his free hand, and finally landed a kick hard enough on the man's arm that he could wrench his legs free and fall onto the hard metal surface of the fire escape.

The brunette didn't look back even as he heard the killer climbing out of the window. He made his way down the fire escape as quickly as possible, not even noticing the pain from the wounds or even really aware how badly he'd been hurt. Squall jumped from the last level of the fire escape, stumbling as he landed on the ground. He ignored the pain in his feet from landing on the gravel below with no shoes on and took off running. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to get out of here right now, even without looking he was certain the killer was still after him. The area was dark and silent, none of the businesses were open for him to run into and ask for help, so Squall just kept running. The brunette had thought he'd seen someone in a car trying to wave him down as he'd left the vicinity of the complex, but he refused to stop, thinking it could be the killer or a companion of his, and he wasn't about to just walk right into a trap like that.

It seemed like Hyne decided that he hadn't suffered enough, because the sky opened up with a sudden downpour as the stripper ran for his life, making it hard to see or hear where he was going or if the killer was still after him. Squall kept running until he was having trouble moving his legs any longer. It was only then that he slowed down, glancing behind himself and all around, but not seeing anyone. It took him a moment to figure out where he was, and only then did he realize just how far he'd actually gotten. '_...The police station,_' he thought to himself, recognizing the street he was on. The station was only a five or six minute walk away, he had to get there, Seifer was a cop... It would be safe there. Squall grit his teeth and began to run again, the pain having finally set in and making it pure torture to keep going, especially with the rain beating down on him, but he refused to give up now.

Squall finally made it to the station, dragging himself up the steps and through the doors. Everyone in the reception area turned to stare at him as he stood in the doorway, panting, soaking wet, and covered in streaks of blood that stained his clothes and hadn't been washed away by the rain. A couple of officers ran over to him and tried to ask if he was okay and what had happened, but Squall shrank back and shook his head. He didn't quite trust anyone, even here. There was only one person who he felt like he could trust here. "Almasy. Call him."

xxx

Seifer had been fast asleep, lost in nightmare land where Squall was being chased down by the killer whose face was blurry despite him having found out who he was. Squall was covered in blood, trying to escape death, and Seifer was desperately trying to get to him and save him from it but for some reason the closer he got, the farther they were. The distance continued to expand no matter how fast he ran or what he did to get to Squall. Just as the killer was rounding on Squall who had tripped, the finishing blow driving towards the already bloodied brunette, Seifer was ripped his dream by the sound of his phone going off. The obnoxious ringtone pierced through his hazy mind as he shot into a sitting position and looked around, just to make sure all that had been a dream. His heart was racing a mile a minute, threatening to burst through his ribcage, and his golden skin was glistening with sweat. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he glanced to his phone and felt his heart jump into his throat. Oh shit, that was most likely Squall and the fact that he had just had that dream made him quiver as he quickly grabbed the device and saw the caller ID. The station...why were they calling?

With the most negative thought in mind, Seifer answered with a hasty, "What?" and waited for the caller to speak. Seifer's worst thoughts had come true. Squall had been attacked and luckily had made it to the station. Cursing wildly with every swear word under the sun, Seifer snapped at the man on the other line that he would be right there before he hung up and shot out of bed. Stumbling into his uniform and snapping his gun to his hip, Seifer snatched up his cell and his keys and raced towards the door. Hadn't he ordered for a cop to be out there checking up on Squall? What the hell was he doing? Oh that man was going to hear from him when he found him. He was going to throttle the idiot, whoever was sent on that call! Heart still racing and breathing ragged, Seifer hopped into his squad car, roared the engine to life, and went squealing out of his driveway. He knew he should have just offered to stay there or have Squall come to his place! Seifer cursed himself for keeping his mouth shut. This was his fault, his negligence. Well it wouldn't happen again and Squall would be safe once more. Blaring his lights to get everyone out of his way, he ripped through the streets like a hell hound until he veered into the station and barely turned the car off before he was running into the station.

Hair and shoulders drenched, Seifer kicked open the doors and bellowed, "What the fuck? I told you guys to send someone out to fucking watch his place and here he is..." He stopped for a second to observe Squall and his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. "BLOODY! You incompetent bastards. Who was sent on that call? Call them and have them here on the double. I'm going to tear his ass to shreds!" His raging voice was enough to have all the other cops cringing and backing off, knowing Seifer's rage was quite dangerous. Once he saw blood, there was no stopping him from going through his rampage. Seifer was having a hard time calming himself in this mood and the only reason why he calmed down a bit was the fact that Squall was hurt. That was enough to make him turn reasonable once more as he approached the soaked and bloody brunette with a strained expression on his face, one full of worry and guilt and anger as he looked the male up and down. Cuts all over the place, side and legs especially. Seifer cursed again for his foolishness. The time he considered Squall's feelings, this happened.

"Hyne, look at you. They didn't give you anything? Shit, get him some Hyne damn bandages you fools." Seifer barked his order, making sure someone went to do as he said before he sat Squall down gently and meticulously examined each and every cut. They weren't too deep but they were bleeding profusely and needed immediate care. "What happened? And don't be so pride-ridden. Right now I need to know what happened and I need to take care of these cuts before you bleed to death." He said in a strict no nonsense voice. He wasn't in the mood for anyone to go against him. His hair was disheveled and he definitely looked like he had just woken up on the bad side of the bed but he went about his work while ignoring his exhaustion. When one of the officers returned with the First Aid kit, Seifer snatched it from him, flicked it open, and began gently cleaning the wounds before placing gauze over them. That would help them heal and close up while fighting off bacteria. After the gauze was applied, Seifer wrapped bandages around them before tying them tight. Satisfied now that Squall was taken care off, Seifer grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the male's shoulders.

"Ridiculous...fucking ridiculous. Can't trust anyone but myself can I?" Seifer glared at his fellow officers who reported that it had been Dincht that was supposed to watch Squall's apartment. "The Chicken-wuss? Oh perfect." He rolled his eyes before he looked squarely at Squall, "Well there is no way you can go back to your apartment. If you have nowhere else to go, you can stay with me. Meanwhile, I want a few men sent out to his apartment to search the place to see if the killer is still there or in sight. Report back to me whatever you find, immediately. I don't want you idiots to botch this up too." Seifer commanded, watching the others scramble to figure out who would go and take care of it.

Seifer sat down next to Squall and finally softened a bit, "You okay?" He asked, placing a comforting hand on the brunette's shoulder to show that he was there for him.

xxx

Squall nearly jumped out of his skin when the doors to the station flew open and Seifer stormed in. His nerves were rattled worse than ever, but upon realizing who it was, he managed to take a few deep breaths and calm himself a little. The brunette shifted uncomfortably on his feet as Seifer roared about the condition he was in to the other officers. They had wanted to help him, but Squall wouldn't let anyone touch him. He hugged his arms to his chest, shivering slightly from the cold of being drenched, and watched as Seifer approached him as he stood there looking much like a cat that had just climbed out of a river. He should have just told him he didn't feel safe there all alone, but even now Squall couldn't bring himself to admit that he felt safer with the blond, not that it wasn't painfully obvious when he'd asked them to call Seifer specifically.

"...I told them not to." Squall mumbled as Seifer shouted at the other officers for not having tended to him. He had a feeling that Seifer was already going to exact some sort of punishment on them, he didn't feel right by making it worse. The stripper didn't protest as he was led to a seat so the other could check him over, his entire body felt like it was on fire and he couldn't take much more of it, the adrenaline having worn off long ago and leaving him with nothing but pain. Squall pursed his lips as Seifer questioned him, looking down at the floor for a moment while he tried to regain his composure somewhat. Finally, grayish-blue eyes that were full of emotion turned up to face Seifer. "...He was in my house. I woke up... saw him come into the bedroom... with a knife." He said quietly. Squall did his best to sit still while Seifer treated his wounds, but the occasional wince or small sound of pain escaped him. He took the blanket gratefully when Seifer was done, pulling it tightly around himself as he shivered a bit.

Squall listened as the officers spoke to Seifer about who was supposed to be watching his place, surprised that Seifer had arranged such a thing. '_You should have known he would do it,_' he thought to himself. Squall glanced up, steel blue orbs widened with surprise at Seifer's offer. Normally his pride would have lashed out at such a notion and he would have immediately refused, but Squall had no other place to go. He couldn't go to Ellone, hell, she didn't even know anything about what was going on anyways, and he couldn't go home, and he had no other family or anyone else to stay with. He looked back down at the floor, clutching the blanket tightly. He knew he should accept the offer, but it still felt weird to him. He still wanted to be mad at the arrogant Seifer who was always bothering him and playing hero, but the other half of him wanted to stay with the Seifer that had rushed down here in the middle of the night to protect him because Squall had called.

The brunette nodded in response to Seifer's question, glancing over to the hand on his shoulder. He didn't feel 'alright', to be honest, but he was alive and safe from the killer, so he figured that was close enough. "...I'm tired." He mumbled, curling up into the blanket more. Squall had barely slept in the last two days, and that along with everything that had just happened had literally drained him of everything physically and emotionally. "...Can we just go?" The brunette asked quietly, glancing up at Seifer with the strain showing on his face. Never in his life had Squall thought he would ask Seifer to take him to his house, but right now he just had to get out of this place, and the safest place for him to be seemed to be with the blond.

xxx

Seifer listened with a frown on his face as Squall gave a very short, one sentence tale of what had happened. It was quite obvious it had been a knife, probably a good thing since if Squall had been shot, who knew if Squall would still be alive right now. The killer was ever more persistent than he had thought and this left Seifer uneasy. Usually they weren't this smart or clever and usually he could capture them relatively quick. This was taking way too long. Cursing himself for his inability to capture the killer already knowing he'd hear it from his boss, Seifer made sure his fellow men were doing as they were told. A few officers were dispatched and sent to the apartment complex with orders to report to him everything they found. Zell Dincht was also to be informed that he would be having a great earlashing upon the morrow. Seifer wasn't going to let the Chicken go scotch-free when he could have been there to make sure this hadn't happened. What use was a cop if they weren't there when they were needed? He knew it was difficult to be there on the precise time but they could have given better quality than this and that was what was frustrating him. The fact that right next to him was sitting a scared and injured man whose life was on the line made that feeling stronger. At least Squall was alive and had managed to get here and get in contact with him. He was glad about that.

When Squall asked if they could go, Seifer nodded. At least the stripper wasn't disputing his demand that Squall stay with him. If that was any clue, he guessed Squall had felt that was a good idea but didn't want to say anything without looking like a weakling or something. It would have made Seifer smirk and tease him for it had it not been such a serious situation and the fact that Squall had quite the rough night. Nodding to the other man, he rose to his feet and gave the officer behind the counter a dirty look. "This incompetence won't happen again." He snapped before he guided Squall gently out of the station and to his car, opening the door for him before closing it as he got in. Getting into the driver's seat, he sighed deeply and scowled, "I'm sorry that this happened. Officer Dincht should have been there to avoid this..." He said, giving Squall a sympathetic look before his face hardened once more and he was pulling out of the station parking lot. With the windshield wipers swishing away the rain which made a pitter-patter sound against the car roof and windows, the ride was more silent than usual. Even Seifer couldn't find it in him to chat.

Tired, annoyed, and pissed off, Seifer parked his car in the garage and got out. Unlocking the side door, Seifer turned and waved Squall to follow him. "Well this is my abode. It's nothing huge or fancy but it works for a bachelor like me." He gave a faint smirk as he flicked on the kitchen lights. Setting his keys down, Seifer led Squall into the living room. "I don't have a guest room so will the couch do? If not, my bed is big enough." It was a weird offer but Seifer wasn't going to be stingy when he knew sleeping on the couch was uncomfortable most of the time. Plus his bed was indeed big because that was how he liked it. Going into a closet, he pulled forth sheets to cover the cushions then an extra blanket and pillow which he set up for Squall's sake. Once Squall's makeshift bed was made, Seifer looked the brunette over and shook his head. "You can't sleep in those..." Seifer turned and disappeared into his room only to return with a fleece t-shirt that would be a bit baggy and long on Squall as well as pajama bottoms, he handed them over. "These should do."

Seifer left the lamp on next to the couch as he went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and some painkillers. After he made sure Squall was changed, he returned into the living room and held the two things out. "Not the best painkillers but it should dull the pain." He said before going to turn up the heat. After all, he didn't want his guest to freeze. "If you need to, the bathroom is right across from my bedroom down the hall. I'll leave my door open just in case you need me or something. Otherwise, make yourself at home." Seifer said. This was the first time anyone had stayed over his place in a long ass time. It was weird but nice at the same time. Smirking, he bid Squall a good-night before turning and heading towards his room. Stripping out of his uniform and staying in just his boxers, he climbed back into bed and made sure his pager was still on before he snuggled down into his sheets and pillows and closed his eyes.

xxx

Squall stood up, wobbling a bit on his feet, having scratched them up pretty badly during the run over there, and walked with Seifer out of the station. The brunette slipped into his seat, buckling the safety belt before he pulled the blanket back around himself. He glanced over at Seifer as the cop spoke, but he didn't reply; there wasn't really much of anything to say about it. Squall pulled his legs up to his chest and curled into the seat, staring listless out of the window. It hadn't seemed all that real when he was running to the station in the storm, trying to stay alive; but now as they drove towards Seifer's house, it had all started to sink in.

The stripper watched as Seifer unlocked the door and called him in, quickly unbuckling his seat belt to follow the man in, not wanting to stay outside any longer than he had to. Squall looked around the house as he was led inside; it was nice, nothing too over the top, but more or less what he'd expected of the man. The brunette nodded silently, not wanting to admit that he really didn't want to sleep on the couch, but refusing to say so to the blond; that was the last thing he needed right now. It was only when the other spoke that Squall actually bothered to look down at himself; his clothes were ripped open, dripping wet, and streaked with blood. "... Alright." He said, watching the man disappear and then return with some clothes for him to wear.

Squall quickly stripped out of his wet clothes when Seifer left the room, not knowing where the bathroom was, and pulled on the shirt and pants Seifer had brought for him. The brunette took the painkillers and the water and nodded, taking them immediately in the hopes that they wouldn't take too long to kick in since his body was burning with pain. Squall nodded and sat down on the couch; ignoring the smirk as the man said goodnight and left the room. He was exhausted, so he turned off the lamp and stretched out on the couch, closing his eyes as he snuggled into the blanket.

It became painfully obvious to Squall after a long while of tossing and turning that he was not going to get to sleep out here. The couch was uncomfortable, to say the least, he was freezing, and as much as he was loathe to admit it, Squall felt extremely alone out there on the couch. Not the usual solitude that he relished, but completely and utterly vulnerable, and he hated it. Sighing loudly, the brunette finally gave up and sat up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes. He was so tired, yet he couldn't fall asleep, but he needed to rest. '_...He did offer to share the bed, it's not like you can't just put some pillows between you or something,_' he thought to himself, grimacing slightly. Squall really didn't want to do it, he begged himself not to, but the stripper still found himself on his feet, clutching the pillow as he trotted down the hall towards Seifer's bedroom.

Squall hesitated outside of the door, listening to hear if the man was awake. It sounded fairly quiet, so he lightly knocked on the door, waiting for a response. Receiving none, Squall stepped inside, looking around apprehensively as if expecting to get caught doing something wrong. '_It's not wrong, he offered... besides, the bed looks a thousand times more comfortable than the couch, and you're a guest, so if anything it's him who should be out there._' The part of his brain that wanted to sleep told him. Squall crept over to the bed, peering over the mass of covers to see that Seifer was asleep. "...Seifer?" He called out quietly, waiting for a reaction. Once again, receiving no reply, the brunette decided that it would be best not to wake Seifer up and just decided to go for it.

Peeling back the covers on the opposite side of the bed, Squall very carefully slipped beneath them, doing his best not to disturb the sleeping blond. Any other time the brunette would have been concerned about the consequences of such a thing when the other woke up, but right now he just didn't care. The bed was so comfortable compared to the couch that Squall actually got a little angry that Seifer had put him out there in the first place and hogged it all to himself. Shaking those thoughts aside though, the stripper closed his eyes, pulling the covers up to his neck as he snuggled into the bed. It only took about a minute for him to fall asleep, feeling a lot more comfortable and safe than he had out there, though he was still a bit cold.

Squall had apparently been chilled worse than he thought from running in the rain so long, so his body naturally sought more heat than could be found in the blankets. Unfortunately for him, the best source of heat within arm's reach around was an extremely warm cop that was practically a human heater. Completely unaware of what he was doing, the brunette had managed to roll and wriggle his way under the blankets towards said heat source, and had clamped onto it tightly. He wound his arms the best he could around Seifer, using his chest for a pillow as he threw one leg over the cop's own legs, nuzzling into him. Squall wasn't scowling, in fact he was almost smiling in his sleep as he cuddled up to Seifer, now thoroughly warm and comfy.

xxx

Seifer was in that limbo between trying to fall asleep and that unconscious sleep when Squall decided it was necessary for him to climb into bed with him. Even though he was not fully asleep, he was still out enough that he didn't hear the light knock or Squall's soft voice calling his name. Not even the shift in the bed aroused him. Of course it did make him shift and knit his brows for he wasn't used to such a difference in his bed with having another person in it but he didn't open his eyes or do anything to alert Squall that he knew he was there. It wasn't until Seifer felt something clinging to him tightly that he actually began to rouse from his near unconscious sleep. Eyes fluttering, he looked around the dark room for a moment before he glanced down to find Squall pressed up against his side, head on his chest, and arm and leg thrown over him. To say he was shocked was an understatement. But did he throw a fit and shove Squall off of him? No. Seifer simply left him like that as a smug smirk grew across his tired face. Well, well, well, so Squall was a cuddler? Who would have guessed? Amused by this thought, he wrapped his arm loosely around the brunette as he shifted enough to see Squall's face. Upon seeing an actual smile on the stripper's face, Seifer pursed his lips in shock then gave a small momentarily soft smile. Squall looked good smiling, too bad he was in favor of scowling all the time. Well if this cuddling made him happy then Seifer would leave it at that.

But what to do? Seifer couldn't wait until morning to rub this into Squall's face. No matter how much of an asshole it would make him out to be. It was too good to be true and too good to leave as is. The best way to capture this moment to prove to Squall that he had actually cuddled with him, Seifer gently reached over and grabbed his cell phone with minimal movements of his body. Satisfied, he turned on the camera on his phone and snapped a picture of a smiling Squall resting upon his chest. Perfect. Setting the device aside, Seifer smoothed his hand over Squall's hair lightly so as not to wake him up and alert him that he was awake now and had found him like this, before he rested it on Squall's back and closed his eyes again. It had been a long time since a body had warmed his bed and to have a slim body covered in his own clothes literally wrapped around him was actually quite nice. He hadn't realized how much he had missed having somebody next to him until now. Too bad Squall didn't seem like the relationship type. Shaking his head of the thought, he forced himself to sleep and not think about such personal desires. Especially after what had happened earlier before.

It didn't take long for Seifer to fall asleep again, holding Squall to him as he slept.


	10. Chapter Nine

Characters belong to Square-Enix.

Chapter 9.

Note: Wow, this took forever. I wasn't going to continue updating considering the role play got so far and stuff, but I kept getting reviews so I figured I would try to update a little more often.

* * *

The sun streaming in and the ring of his alarm was the breaking point in the morning. It seemed only an hour ago that he had gotten Squall from the police station, brought him home, and found him in bed. In all actuality it had been about five hours. Sighing, he quickly shut the alarm off and smirked down at the brunette who was still sleeping on him. Gently, he began to extract himself from the warm body and warm covers before he tucked Squall in and found some pajama pants that he slid on over his boxers. After breakfast, he'd shower and get ready for work. First he had to make sure Squall would be fine. Of course he had to figure out what to do with Squall during the day while he was gone, but he could do that over a good, hot meal. Scratching his ruffled hair, he left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to put together a breakfast meal of cheese and bacon omelet with a side of hash browns and sausage, as well as biscuits. The aroma of the food was so powerful that Squall could surely smell it from the bedroom.

As Seifer cooked, he turned the small TV on to the news and listened as it reported recent events. It wasn't a surprise that the attack at the club had been publicized, but he shrugged and waited for more. It was the same old crap they spoke about every day and Seifer turned it to a cartoon channel. Twenty-three and he still watched cartoons. Taking a seat at the table, he waited for Squall to join him so they could eat and discuss what was going to happen today.

xXx

Squall mumbled in his sleep as Seifer placed an arm around him, snuggling further into the heat. His dreams were surprisingly pleasant considering the night's events, keeping the smile on his face. The brunette didn't seem to notice when the other snapped a picture of him, he was too comfortable and in too deep of a sleep for it to faze him. "Mmn." Squall mumbled again in his sleep as Seifer petted his hair and rested his hand on him, nuzzling against the hand a bit, feeling comforted in his dreams.

The alarm blared but Squall didn't wake up, having been so exhausted that he managed to sleep through it. Even Seifer climbing out of bed didn't wake him, the brunette only curling further into the blankets to make up for the loss of the other's body heat. What finally woke the stripper was the smell of something delicious wafting in from the kitchen; causing him to rouse from his sleep. Squall sat up, groggy and rubbing his eyes, as he yawned loudly. His hair was flat on one side and sticking up on the other, but he didn't notice yet. Squall could hear what sounded like a television in the direction of the aroma of food, so he stretched and climbed out of the bed.

It wasn't until Squall was on his feet that the realization finally hit him; Seifer had woken up first, had seen him in his bed. ' _...Damn._' he hissed to himself, shaking his head as he trudged for the door. There was no point in worrying about it now, what was done was done, and Seifer had offered to share anyways. Squall yawned again as he headed into the kitchen, finding the blond sitting at the table, food prepared and waiting. "..." Squall gave his version of a 'good morning' and sat down, waiting for Seifer to say something.

xXx

Seifer heard the soft pit-pat of feet on the smooth wooden floor in the living room and knew Squall had finally awoken. He guessed the smell of the food had worked. Smirking to himself, he sipped his coffee and watched the animated cat trying to capture the mouse. It made him chuckle, remembering times when he was a kid where he'd sit and watch the same show. It had been one of the rare moments in his childhood that he had actually smiled and laughed for real. His thought was interrupted by Squall taking a seat across from him. Seeing the disarray of Squall's hair and just the way he was slumped in the chair, Seifer could tell Squall wasn't a morning person. "Mornin'. Care for some breakfast?" He asked lightly as he rose to his feet and prepared Squall and his plate before taking a seat at the table once more and sliding Squall his plate. Then he slid another cup of coffee over for the brunette before he dug into his own meal. "So did you sleep well? You sure seemed like you did...all cuddled up to me and everything." His smirk seemed to widen and grow in smugness as he glanced across the table at the man. It was almost weird to find someone across his table eating with him when it was normally just him. It was really time he settled down with someone or at least got himself a dog or cat.

Scratching his uncombed hair, Seifer grinned as he remembered Squall all wrapped around him, content, and smiling. Even though he teased Squall for it, he had enjoyed it himself. How could he not? It was almost a brief preview of what it would be like if they were a couple and frequently slept together. Not that he was presuming anything would happen because of this but it would be nice. Sighing inwardly, he could imagine Squall refusing the fact he had done anything like that and grabbed his phone to show him the picture he had taken. "You look good smiling. You should do it more often. After all, you don't want your face to be frozen in a permanent scowl do you?" Squall went from ferocious lion to a cute cuddly kitten that had just gotten its fill of cream. Smiling, he closed the phone and tucked it away as he scooped up some of his omelet and put it in his mouth to chew, savor, and swallow. A process that he continued until his plate was nearing emptiness. Of course he watched Squall the whole time to make sure he ate up as well for the man was so ghostly pale and so thin it was sickening.

"In all seriousness now, how are you feeling?" Seifer asked, wondering if the cuts still hurt and not only that but how Squall was mentally. That was just as important as physical pain. It was actually worse since physical pain went away faster than mental and emotional. He should know. Knowing this was the time to discuss what was going to go on today, he sipped his coffee and swirled the remaining liquid around in the cup as he pursed his lips. "I have to return to the station to see what the guys found at your apartment, if anything, and then track down this bastard. I don't feel good leaving you alone but if you stay here, you probably would be safe. Unless you want to go to Ellone's or come with me to the station. The guys wouldn't mind because they know I'd break their jaws if they said anything and you could possibly help in the case anyways." He said, throwing the options out there so Squall could mull over them and make his choice. At least Squall got a choice this time.

xXx

Squall placed his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and yawning again. Hyne, he hated early mornings like this; working as a stripper usually let him sleep in another couple of hours at least, since he had to stay up so late. He didn't look up as Seifer asked about breakfast, just nodded absently and yawned again, trying not to fall asleep at the table. Squall mumbled what almost sounded like a 'thanks' when the food and coffee was set before him, picking up his fork and cutting a piece of the omelet off to take a bite. The brunette froze, the fork halfway to his mouth, when Seifer spoke again. _'What the HELL is he talking about?'_ he growled in his own mind, leveling his icy blue gaze at the man across from him, demanding an explanation. _'And what's he smirking for?'_

The stripper shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Whenever Seifer had that look on his face, it meant bad things for Squall. "..." Squall stared at the picture on the phone as if he was looking at some creature from outer space. It couldn't be real. Seifer had to have done something to make it look like he was cuddling with him. The brunette leaned in, glaring at the screen on the phone until finally he had to give up; he was obviously smiling and there was no way Seifer could have attached Squall to himself like that without having woken him at some point. "Hn, whatever." He snapped, looking down as he shoved the fork into his mouth, feeling like his face was suddenly a lot warmer than it had been. What was he supposed to say to that? Hyne, he didn't even remember that, but there it was, in color, right in front of his face, and of course, Seifer being the smug bastard he was just had to take a picture of it. "...The couch was uncomfortable." He added in between bites, just to make it clear that that was the only reason he'd gotten into the bed, just in case Seifer decided to let his ego inflate any worse than it already was.

Squall focused on his breakfast, feeling like Seifer was staring at him but not willing to face the blond right now, feeling like the last shreds of his dignity had flown out the window. Upon hearing the question, Squall hesitated, twirling his fork around his plate for a few moments before he finally answered. "... I don't know," he finally replied, shrugging slightly. In all honesty, the brunette had no idea what he felt; everything was a mix of emotions too complicated for him to sort out. Last night he'd been terrified, right now he just felt ashamed, ashamed that he couldn't protect himself, that he'd had to run and beg for Seifer's help at the police station, ashamed that he couldn't even sleep alone on the couch without having to cling to the blond, literally. That wasn't even to mention his wounds, but at least the pain from those had dulled somewhat over the night. "... My side hurts a bit." He said, motioning to the gash he'd gotten last night, figuring it didn't matter if he looked weak and frail right now, especially since he'd apparently spent the night cuddling Seifer as if he were a giant teddy bear.

Taking a sip of his own coffee, Squall nodded as he listened to Seifer explain the options for the day. He felt safe in the house, but even still, Squall was fairly certain that he didn't want to spend the day there all alone. And going to the station didn't sound all that great either, even if Seifer was threatening them, the brunette knew how gossip spread, ad after his grand entrance and display with Seifer last night, he didn't really want to stay there right now. "...I was supposed to visit Ellone today." He finally said, setting down his cup of coffee. Squall really hadn't wanted Seifer to meet his sister, not now, but he hadn't seen or spoken to her in several days, and he knew she would start to worry since Squall always at least called every few days to check up on her. He'd rather she didn't find out about what had happened to him, not until he'd had a chance to break it to her gently.

xXx

Seifer laughed good-heartedly as Squall insisted that the only reason he had climbed into bed with him was because the couch was uncomfortable. Not that that was a lie per say for Seifer knew it was the truth, but with the way Squall had been cuddling against him, he felt there had to be another reason besides that; a more prominent reason than just the couch's level of comfort. "Sure whatever you say. It wasn't how it seemed last night, but I'll let you stay in your little mindset." He teased which was all in good fun but Squall, he knew, would take seriously. The guy really needed to learn how to lighten up a bit and not take life so seriously. It was understandable at this point that he would be quite serious when his life was on the line, but otherwise Squall shouldn't be so grouchy. To Seifer, that wasn't the way to live one's life. The world wasn't all that bad and there had to be something Squall enjoyed doing that actually made him smile and be happy. Seifer would figure out what that thing or things were and give it to the brunette. After all, he wasn't lying when he said Squall had a nice smile. It was like a sunrise, beautiful and yet rare for people barely got up in time to watch or was too focused on other things. Seifer felt like one of those romantic fools who compared the body parts of their love interest to whimsical things. Shaking his head at his own strange thoughts, he made to finish his breakfast as Squall focused solely on his own food.

Seifer glanced up again when Squall responded to his question, mentioning that his side still hurt. That had been a deeper gash than the rest which would explain why it hurt more. Maybe it was in Squall's best interest to go to the hospital just for the doctors to check it all. "If you want, I can drop you off at the hospital. They probably have some painkillers that will make it go away." After all, his patchwork was just rudimentary, a basic knowledge of taking care of open cuts, so no doubt not even his work was all that effective. It just had done the job for now. But that was up to Squall. Even if he wanted to force Squall, he couldn't. He couldn't stay with Squall if he dropped him off and Squall would have that opportunity to leave and not get the medical attention he needed so he just left it that. Whatever Squall wanted, he'd oblige considering Squall had no other ride and his life was in danger until Seifer caught the bastard who had done this. Irvine seemed to be getting bolder and a bit more desperate with every failure to kill Squall and he knew the man would not mess up this time if given the chance and Seifer didn't plan on giving him that chance.

When their plates were empty, Seifer picked them up and brought them to the sink to rinse off before he put them in the dishwasher. Once that was set, he poured coffee into a mug to bring to work with him before he shut off the television and turned back to Squall. "Do you want me to drop you off there then? I'm sure you'll be safe there but if you wish I can have someone check up on you or I can when I'm free." He probably wouldn't have that much free time on his hands but he was sure he could push a few things aside to accommodate Squall. It was odd that he was so willing to change things so he could be there for the other man but he guessed it was because of that pique of interest he had and a sudden protective nature. Whatever it was he couldn't ignore it. Ruffling his hair, he sighed as he realized he still needed to shower and change. Making a face, he set his mug in the microwave and looked to Squall. "Think about it while I take a shower." He said before he left the kitchen to go do that.

xXx

Seifer's laugh made Squall want to reach across the table and strangle the man. The stripper settled for chucking the biscuit on his plate at the blonds face in anger, anything to shut him up. He was always laughing at Squall, always smirking, always trying to piss him off. The brunette hadn't even known the man all that long but it seemed like he'd met Seifer ages ago, the man having been so completely threaded into his life that remembering a time without the arrogant cop felt a bit difficult for Squall. "Whatever." He snapped coldly, completely shutting down again as he focused on the meal instead of the smirk across the table. Just for once Squall wished that Seifer could get a taste of his own medicine, but that wasn't his style.

Squall pursed his lips as the hospital was mentioned; he hated to go for treatment himself but he had a feeling that he needed it, and Ellone's convalescence care center was literally across the street from it, so he could kill two birds with one stone. Surely he would be safe enough walking out of the hospital. It would be broad daylight, and there were plenty of cops and security around the area, the killer wouldn't make a move there, well, at least Squall hoped not. The last thing he wanted was for Ellone to get dragged into all of this. The brunette looked down at his plate as he decided on what to do; he felt bad for keeping all of this from Ellone, but then again, it was for her own safety...

Squall barely noticed when Seifer cleared the dishes, only snapping back to reality when he was questioned again. "...The hospital will be fine." he said, nodding in response. The brunette shifted in his chair as he considered the offer for someone to check up on him. He saw how well that went last night, but Squall had already run to ask for Seifer's help and had even cuddled him, he really didn't want to ask the man to stop by personally. He nodded again as Seifer told him to think about it and headed for the shower; Squall really needed one himself, but that would have to wait until he had some clothes to wear. Hopefully Seifer could squeeze in a stop to his apartment before dropping him off at the hospital; he didn't think it would go over so well if he had to explain to Ellone why he was wearing clothes that were far too big for him. Not to mention he was curious to find out if the officers had found anything in his apartment like the killer's signature calling card of a flower or maybe even some evidence that could help them track the man.

xXx

Seifer's laughter came to a choking stop when the biscuit collided with his face. It bounced off his forehead and landed in his lap which he looked at oddly before raising a brow at Squall. Once again he smirked. It seemed Squall got aggressive when he was picked on or teased, something he rather enjoyed and could play with. Of course he was probably lucky Squall had thrown the biscuit and not a knife or fork. But he couldn't help but love the pissed off, pouty expression on Squall's face. As much as he thought Squall looked good with a smile, Squall's angry face was just as attractive and it made him laugh even more which of course he kept to himself this time. After all, he didn't want Squall changing his mind and finding a pointy object to stab him with. He wasn't that foolish to keep going with his bullying when Squall was in that mood. He made it seem like they had known each for a while when in all actuality it had only been about three or four days. Maybe there was a connection between them that neither one realized for even Seifer felt it odd to think about life without Squall. Not that he couldn't live without the brunette, it would just be weird considering he had been around the man the past few days and saved his life. That definitely had to play a part in it. Who knew and who cared. Seifer wasn't going to go and analyze their whole 'relationship', whatever kind it was.

Shaking his head, Seifer made sure the dishes were being washed before putting all the ingredients away so that he didn't have to clean a mess when he came home. When he was done, he glanced to Squall and nodded at his answer. "Good." He said before he left Squall to think of his next plan of action while he showered. Going through his closet, he found a clean uniform before going into his bathroom and taking a quick shower. He took the time to groom himself, shaving off any hints of a beard and mustache, trimming his hair, and even doing a bit of manscaping. There was nothing wrong with making oneself look extra handsome. Once he was thoroughly cleaned from head to toe, he got out and dried off, pulling his uniform on after putting deodorant on. Spraying himself with some cologne, he combed his hair back and brushed his teeth before he grabbed his wallet off the dresser and reentered the kitchen. "So did you decide what you are going to do after the hospital? You staying with me or Ellone?"

Seifer grabbed his mug from the microwave before he checked his phone for any calls. Rolling his eyes at the fact they had only called once and the message that was left, he glanced to Squall. "They didn't find much. Just dirty footprints on your floor and a few fingerprints." It was something and it would help them track down the killer and confirm who it was. Even though he was sure it was Irvine Kinneas. Rubbing his scar, he signaled for Squall to follow him out of the house which he locked up behind them and went to his car. Glancing Squall over, he smirked, "Do you have any clothes of your own at Ellone's or should I stop at your apartment so you can get some?" Seemingly reading Squall's mind once more as he allowed them into the car and sat down to start the ignition.

xXx

Squall yawned loudly as he glanced around the kitchen once Seifer was gone, listening to the sound of the shower running in the background. He hadn't expected Seifer to be the type to keep a nice house, the blond seemed like he would have been messy. _'Who would have guessed?'_ Squall snorted to himself. The brunette laid his head on the table, closing his eyes as he listened to the shower, his eyelids suddenly feeling heavy again. It wasn't until Seifer spoke that Squall snapped upright in his seat, not having realized he was asleep the whole time. "Huh?" He stared at the blond for a few moments until the question processed in his mind. The stripper pursed his lips, glancing off awkwardly to the side as he answered, "... I can't stay with her." Squall didn't bother to elaborate, hoping the other would take the hint and drop it. Squall wasn't ashamed of his sister or anything, far from it, but that was an aspect of his life he'd always tried to keep personal, for his sister's sake.

The stripper nodded in response as he was filled in on the details; he hadn't honestly expected them to even find as much as they had. Squall stood up from his chair and trotted after Seifer, rolling his eyes at the blonds smirk. What the hell was he always smirking for? It pissed Squall off so much sometimes, and it was even worse when the blond was reading his mind like that. "... I don't have anything with her." He replied, climbing into the car and buckling his seat belt.

Squall stared out the window, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again. Here he was, pretty much making Seifer chauffeur him around town, wearing his clothes, letting the blond cook him breakfast, and he couldn't even do anything to make things even. Squall hated owing anyone anything, it was the worst feeling in the world to him, but even he knew he didn't have much of a choice. The brunette didn't have anyone else to help him, and he would never ask anyone else, so as much as he hated the situation, Seifer was someone he couldn't just push away. And as much as Squall refused to admit it, Seifer wasn't entirely as awful as he made the blond out to be, after all, anyone else who'd even tried to act like that with Squall in the past had found themselves kicked to the curb, possibly with bodily harm done to them.

xXx

Seifer gave Squall a questioning look when he said he couldn't stay with Ellone which he found odd but he smartly kept his questions to himself. Even though he was a busy body and pretty nosy person he could tell it was definitely a subject Squall didn't want to talk about. What it was about was beyond him but he simply shrugged it off. There was no need to make Squall feel even more upset and uncomfortable than he already was. Seifer wasn't that much of a bastard, no matter how he portrayed himself. Once his house was locked up and the car started, Seifer nodded at Squall's answer about clothes. It seemed they would be making a pit stop at Squall's house before they headed to the hospital. Calling up the station on the radio, Seifer pulled out of his garage and driveway and began heading in the direction of the apartment complex Squall lived in. When Officer Trepe answered the call, he informed her of what he was doing. "While I'm out, I want everyone pulling out any possible files on Irvine Kinneas. I want you to find his address and everything. I will be going to it later on." He said in a cold voice as he gazed straight ahead of him, "Oh and tell Dincht that he's got extra prison duties, he'll know what I mean. That is what he gets for not doing his job properly."

When Quistis gave a sigh and the word she would tell him, Seifer put the speaker away and glanced to Squall who was busy staring out the window. "We're tracking him down. We're close, okay?" Not that Squall had any reason to believe that they would catch the killer that very day since they had failed to do so before but Seifer was sure they were close to getting the suspect. Pulling into the parking lot, he cut the ignition and hooked his gun to his hip before he got out of the car and walked with Squall inside. The third time he joined Squall to his apartment to make sure it wasn't occupied by the murderer. At least this time Squall wouldn't be staying there so Squall wouldn't have to worry about being attacked as soon as Seifer left. As they reached the apartment, Seifer waited for Squall to unlock it then walked in and looked around. It looked just as he had seen it before but upon looking into the bedroom he could see the signs of where the struggle had happened. It definitely looked like the cops had been there so he was at least glad they had done that much. Bending down, he touched the blood on the rug then saw the imprints and sighed. They needed to capture this bastard and soon.

Seifer straightened up and tapped his fingers against the wall as he waited for Squall to grab some fresh clothes and change. Thankfully it didn't take Squall long to get changed and ready and once Squall was ready to leave, Seifer walked with him back out to his car. "I'll drop you off at the hospital. When you are done, just call me and we'll go from there. I'll pick you up from Ellone's if you need me to later on." He said as he drove them towards the nearest hospital. It made him feel a little more relaxed knowing that doctors would be tending to Squall. Plus there was no way Squall could get attacked without the doctors or nurses seeing and calling the cops. Plus hospitals had security so that helped a lot. Squall should be safe for a bit while he was working. At least he hoped so. The car ride was relatively quiet after that and Seifer didn't mind, his mind on other things to worry about silence. He was feeling mentally exhausted from this investigation and how long it was taking. It was draining him of his strength but he knew he couldn't give up. After all, Almasy's didn't give up. Ever. The fluorescent light of the hospital came into view a little while later and Seifer pulled into the u-shaped driveway and parked in front of the entrance where he then got out and waited for Squall to do the same.

"Are you going to be alright?" Seifer asked with his arms folded over his chest, lips creased in a thin line. As they stood there, a black kitten with gray swirly stripes on its fur appeared at Squall's ankles, mewling and rubbing against his calf. Seifer made a face at the little beast. "Yuck, a stray." He hated cute, fuzzy things.

xXx

Squall half-listened as Seifer made his call to the station, tensing up a bit as the cop told whoever was on the other line that he would be visiting Irvine. Of course Seifer was a trained officer, but Squall still felt a little panicked when he thought of the other going to the killer's home. What if Seifer was attacked? Squall didn't want to think about that, it made him feel sick inside, his chest tightening, feeling almost like he had last night when he'd been attacked again. He knew it was Seifer's job to go after this man, and that if he didn't, then Squall himself would continue to suffer, but even still he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had started to creep into him during that call.

The brunette nodded, still staring out the window to hide his pained expression from Seifer. He knew those words were supposed to comfort him, but Squall didn't think he'd be able to feel better until Irvine was dead or behind bars. The stripper climbed out once the car was stopped and led the way up to his apartment, feeling very unnerved and on edge as they made the trip. He tried to ignore the mess left behind from last night as he grabbed some clothes and hurried to get ready. Squall brushed his teeth and quickly ran his brush through his hair before he tossed those things, along with some extra clothes and his cellphone, into the backpack he usually took whenever he had to stay overnight with Ellone because he refused to wear Seifer's clothes again, and headed out to meet Seifer so they could leave.

Squall followed Seifer out to the car, nodding as the other explained the plan for the day. As much as Squall hated the hospital, he was glad they were going, his side had begun to sting again and he wondered if he might need stitches. It was a little strange to ride in silence; Seifer didn't come off to Squall as the type to keep quiet, but the man seemed to have things on his mind so he didn't question it. It wasn't like Squall was really up for conversation himself anyways.

Finally they reached the hospital and Squall grabbed his bag and climbed out to join Seifer. "Yeah." the brunette nodded, adjusting his bag on his shoulder as he glanced between the cop and the hospital entrance. Before he could say anything else, Squall's attention was caught by something brushing his leg and mewling loudly. Glancing down with a confused expression, Squall spotted the fuzzy little kitten and the faintest hint of what possibly might have been a smile graced his lips. The stripper had always secretly liked cats, all felines really, and they in turn loved him. It didn't hurt matters any that this particular kitten was so fuzzy and adorable; Squall's icy front couldn't resist its charms and he just had to crouch down to pet it.

Squall stroked the kitten's fur, shooting Seifer an irritated glare as he remarked on the kitten. "...I think he's hungry." He said, picking up the kitten which then began to purr intensely as he stood up with it cradled in his hands. Squall scratched behind the kitten's ears and rubbed its belly, feeling how its ribs poked out; it was definitely in need of a meal.

xXx

Was that a smile on Squall's face?

Seifer watched as Squall knelt down and ran his hand over the kitten's back, the little fuzzball seemed to enjoy it as he was picked up from the ground. Probably the most attention it got. His eyes narrowed on the ugly little thing, watching how it purred and nuzzled Squall as if they were long lost pals. It was almost sickening yet the fact that the kitten was able to drop of layer of ice from Squall's wall and not him made him stop his rude comments to think. So there was something that could soften the ice prince up. Animals, or rather cats. What an interesting discovery considering he compared Squall to a lion. Maybe it was that feline connection. Frowning at the glare, he rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "So what am I to do about it?" It made him wonder if Squall was one of those animal freaks that just had to take a stray home and feed it. Seifer didn't exactly hate animals, he just wanted all that good with them. But he guessed he didn't have to be so mean when Squall seemed to enjoy the little fellow. Why, he had no idea, it was just be another mouth to feed and annoying one at that but he guessed to each his own.

"What are you going to do with him? We have no food for him..." Seifer pointed out as he reached out to touch the kitten's head. As soon as he hand drew near the kitten drew its ears backed, bared its teeth, and clawed his hand. Yelping at the piercing nails digging into his skin, he drew his hand back and stared at the small red droplets that rose to the skin. The little bastard had gotten him! "What the hell?" He snapped, glaring with distaste at the little beast disguised a cute cuddly furball. The kitten must have read his not so positive thoughts and decided he didn't like it. Seifer could have sworn he saw a satisfied glint in those yellow orbs. If Squall hadn't been holding the thing all infatuated with it he might have smacked it for that. It seemed he didn't have luck with any sort of feline-like people; women, Squall, and cats themselves. Too bad there was no dog around to eat the little devil.

"I swear I'll probably get a disease now...like rabies or some shit." Seifer said dramatically as he ran his thumb over the tiny prick holes in his hand. The bleeding barely lasted a second but it still stung. Making a face, he watched as the kitten rubbed its tiny head under Squall's chin and purred even louder, fuzzy little paws kneading the brunette's shirt almost possessively. It was almost like the cat was purposefully doing it, taunting him, and saying that he was able to make Squall all awed and attached to him. This train of thought made him wonder if he was going insane, feeling intimidated by a cat! What charm did this cat possess that he didn't? He was much more useful than it in many ways and a lot more intelligent so why would Squall like it? Scowling, he huffed and made a face, "Seems you made a new friend..." His remark caused the kitten to look at him, glare, and he swore the thing smirked at him.

xXx

Squall ran his fingers over the kitten's back and down its tail, eliciting another series of loud purrs from the tiny ball of fur. It had been years since he'd been able to have a cat, there had been one at the orphanage, but after that Squal had never lived any place that allowed them, even his current apartment complex didn't allow them. Maybe he could ask Seifer, but that seemed like a stretch considering how the blond had reacted to the kitten at first. "Well, I can't take him into the hospital..." Squall said, staring pointedly at Seifer, obviously, hinting at what he wanted the other to do.

Squall frowned and cradled the kitten close as Seifer snapped about it scratching him. It was just a baby, and Seifer was scary, how could the blond blame the kitten for defending itself? The brunette rolled his eyes when Seifer started complaining about rabies, shifting the kitten to one hand while he snatched up Seifer's injured hand with his own free one. "It's fine." He snorted, letting go of the man after having deemed the wound superficial at best. And this was the man who was going to protect him from the killer? Squall was certain he'd be in his grave by the end of the week at this rate.

The stripper smiled ever so slightly once again as the kitten nuzzled him and begged for his attention. It actually reminded him of someone else he knew... always in his face and trying to be the center of his attention, except the kitten wasn't blond. Scowling slightly as he compared the two and ended up chiding himself for it, Squall went back to petting the kitten lightly. Squall shrugged slightly at Seifer and stroked the ball of fur as he glanced towards the hospital again. "... He needs to eat something, and I need to go inside..." he said quietly, taking a step towards Seifer with the cat held out in his arms.

xXx

Seifer got the subtle hint and he felt the cogs in his brain grind to a halt. Did Squall seriously want him to take the little street kitten to his house? That was almost preposterous! How could Squall demand that of him when clearly the kitten hated his guts? Every time he looked upon the creature it was giving him the stink eye. Or maybe that was a lazy eye but it sure as hell looked like a death glare. In retrospect the two were perfect for each other but for him? Hell no. Just the idea of bringing the nuisance to his house was scary. He would end up with scratched up furniture, broken pottery and glass, and all sorts of messes that he would rather not have to deal with. It was like unleashing Ifrit inside his house and letting him do as he damn well pleased. On top of all that he was no charity case and sure as hell not for some kitten that decided to bring its scrawny ass over to them. Why couldn't it have picked someone else? Why them? Why Squall, which in turned pointed to him? Though he wondered how that worked when they weren't even dating! It was something two people in a relationship did, shared a pet to take care of, a little thing to bring them closer together. He and Squall weren't like that; they were barely friends though he liked to think them growing near that destination. Was it worth taking the cat into his home?

It seemed he had no choice for it seemed Squall had made his decision. Squall had to go see a doctor and that left him with the little devil reincarnation which Squall was so insistently holding out to him. Once more the cogs in his head began to work. Maybe if he did this, Squall would appreciate him more and be more willing to come see him. He hated having to use something just to convince and trick Squall into hanging around him when Squall should desire to do so on his own but he guessed there was no harm in it. Except for himself. The kitten was glaring at him again, hanging from Squall's hands, and Seifer hesitated before he reached out to take it. "Fine, I'll take him home and feed him. But you better come over and help take care of him. After all it is you who wants him." It felt like he was telling a child this but he shook the thought from his head as he wrapped his hands around the small bundle of fur and clutched it to his chest. A bite to his thumb and smack in the face was his reward for being so generous.

The little Seifer in his head was throwing a fit but the outside Seifer was looking as calm as he could be with a forced grin and gritted teeth. Maybe he'd just store the kitten in a box until Squall returned. "I'll see you later then." He grunted, trying to hang onto the wiggling mess in his hands. "Calm yourself, I'm going to bring you home, feed you, then you'll have Squall when he comes around. You little bastard." He glared right back at the kitten as he opened the passenger door to his car and tossed the kitten onto his seat before he closed the door and moved to the driver's side. Getting in, he gaze the kitten a look as it growled and watched him, tail swishing back and forth. And why was he doing this again? Seifer rolled his eyes and drove away. As he stopped at a red light up the street, Seifer was half tempted to toss the cat out the window but he knew Squall would be one pissed off son of a bitch if he came back and saw no cat.

On the way home, Seifer stopped at a store to buy the necessary equipment and items to take care of a cat; cat food dry and soft, cat litter, a litter box, scooper, and bowls. He felt ridiculous buying all this crap for a thing he didn't want but he'd be damned if the cat made messes around his house. Once the stuff was bought, he made his final trip home. Just as he was pulling into the driveway, the kitten decided to make its attack from behind his seat, attaching itself to Seifer's neck and biting into his ear. Seifer howled as he reached up quickly and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and pulled it away. "Holy Hyne! What the hell is the matter with you?" The cat hissed and swiped its paw at him but missed because of the distance. Seifer shook his head and carried the cat in first then returned to grab the items he had bought. Food and water was prepared for the starved kitten while he set up the litter in the bathroom. "You poop and pee in there. Got it? You better." He showed the kitten the litter before he prayed that it didn't destroy his house while he was gone. After making sure the devil wasn't trying anything tricky, he left and headed to work.


	11. Chapter Ten

Characters belong to Square-Enix.

Chapter 10.

Amaya; haha yeah, I personally love cats but Tholomew vs. Seifer is too funny. There will be more Seifer vs. the cat action throughout the story, xD

Note; long chapter, sorry, but Squall has some informations! Ha.

* * *

"Obviously," Squall replied with a roll of his eyes. He wouldn't have insisted that Seifer take the kitten home if he didn't want to see it anymore. _'That's not the only reason and you know it,_' his inner Squall prodded him but the brunette quickly brushed the thoughts aside. So what if maybe Seifer had started to rub off on him a little; that didn't mean that Squall was using the kitten as an excuse to see him, no way. It just meant that Squall liked cats and needed a place to keep it; at least, that's what he told himself. Though the stripper had to admit it was hard to argue with yourself about something like this, the fact that he was arguing at all spoke volumes to his more rational side.

Squall nodded, feeling a bit relieved that Seifer had agreed to take the kitten and hadn't really asked anything in return. It was extremely generous, and the brunette knew that he owed the man again for everything he was doing for Squall. But how did a person repay someone for these sorts of things? This was far from Squall's field of expertise; he had next to no experience with this sort of thing. _'Maybe Ellone will know,_' he sighed to himself, shaking his head as he headed into the hospital. Squall couldn't help but to take one last look over his shoulder as he entered the doors, watching as Seifer put the cat in the car. It would be a miracle if they both survived the trip without killing one another. Squall pursed his lips and decided not to worry about it, heading in to check in at the emergency room and get this over with already.

It felt like forever before Squall finally went back to get checked out by a doctor. He ended up with a couple of stitches in his side and having all of his wounds re-cleaned and bandaged. Finally he got what he came for, a prescription for something to dull the pain, and was headed back out, ready to visit Ellone. As he passed the front desk, Squall remembered that he didn't tell Seifer where Ellone was. If someone were to come looking for him, especially the blond...well, Squall didn't want to picture the scene that would occur if he suddenly was missing. Trudging up to the front desk, Squall left a message, just in case Seifer or another officer showed up earlier than he expected, and he headed out the front doors.

Luckily for the stripper, Ellone was currently being cared for in a private facility across the street from the hospital. It was what Squall worked for, to pay her bills since the young woman didn't qualify for enough insurance in her condition to cover the expenses. He never regretted doing what he did for her, but Ellone had never been told just how Squall got the money, only agreeing not to press the matter when he insisted that he at least wasn't a prostitute. The brunette quickly made his way across the intersection, hurrying into the building as he tried to shake off his nervousness about being out alone again. He quickly made his way inside, skipping the front desk as he hurried to his sister's room. Knocking gently on the door, he waited for the soft reply before he stepped inside and closed the door.

xXx

Seifer had arrived at the station sporting a few scratches on the side of his face and hands and the first remark from his officers were, "Have a rough night?" Their wiggling eyebrows and nudges were enough of a sign that they thought he and Squall had done something which caused him to smack the nearest person upside the head and glared. "I wish I could say it was him because of a good night of sex but it wasn't." He snapped irritably before he barked for them to get back to work so they didn't question him. What was he to say? He got beaten up by a kitten? Hell no. After a few grumbles and laughs, they turned to do their own thing as Seifer strolled up to Quistis's desk and slammed his hands down on it causing the blond woman to jump in her seat and stare at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Clutching her chest, she gave Seifer a dirty look for his little scare and asked him what he wanted as she began filing papers, putting folders in filing cabinets, and typed a few things onto the computer. She was an amazing multi-tasker but most women seemed to have that talent and Seifer wasn't about to praise her for that, for she'd rub it in his face somehow.

"You should know what I want Quistis. I asked for it just an hour ago or so." Seifer wasn't in the mood to mess around. Once he was at work, he was all serious unless he was the one cracking the joke. Even more so with a case like this. If it had been a simple robbery or other small case then he wouldn't be so uptight but considering the killer had been avoiding them for weeks now and escaping him twice and now having an evil kitten at home on top of it all was just making him be in the worst mood possible. Quistis patronized him with a smile before holding out a folder before going back to work. She was always so prompt and prepared. It made Seifer roll his eyes for he knew she was messing him and snatched the folder from her before he moved to his own office to look through it. All the information he had wanted on Irvine Kinneas was there including his address and phone number. Not that he was worried about a number for he wanted to catch the man unawares. The less Kinneas knew, the better for them. Writing down the address on his notepad, Seifer decided to bring Zell with him on the run. Mostly so he could berate the idiot along the way.

The ride wasn't peaceful considering a loud, angry, and boisterous scarred blond and a shorter, tattooed, and hyperactive blond paired together. It was one reason they rarely worked together. Mostly because the sparks always flew and they didn't really like each other. Seifer tolerated Zell as much as he had to and same went for Zell. Currently Zell had had enough of Seifer, flushed and pissed but unable to do anything but yell back. It wasn't his fault Squall hadn't stopped when he called for him and that he hadn't been passing by to see someone slip in and attack Squall, yet Seifer kept blaming him for it. Their voices died down as they reached their destination; a little complex a little away from the small town. It wasn't big nor very fancy but it wasn't shabby either. Seifer eyed it warily before he nodded to Zell and got out. "Follow my lead, Chicken-wuss and don't say a word. I don't need you ruining anything with your loud trap." He hissed, earning a glare from Zell who waved his fist at him. Seifer knew a good punch from the little man could break his rib but he shrugged it off as if he wasn't scared.

Heading towards the complex, Seifer headed inside and went up to the numbered apartment that belonged to their suspect. He rapped on it once, twice, thrice yet got no response. Scowling, he looked up and down the hallway before he kicked at the door until it gave in and snapped open. It banged against the wall as Seifer stepped in, gun out and ready. No sign of the man in the richly furnished main room. It seemed Irvine did well for himself. Shaking his head, he peered into the kitchen and found it empty as well. Going around the apartment, he found no sign of the killer. Well as long as he wasn't around then he could snoop. Signaling for Zell to keep watch, Seifer began searching through the drawers in Irvine's bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary of something someone would possess, but a few receipts from the florist caught his eye. Stuffing them into his pocket, he continued on until he found an address book. He examined it, flipping through the pages, until a card slipped out. He caught it and examined it; Cid Kramer, headmaster of Balamb University. Odd. He tucked that away as well then examined a note on the table. It was about Cid. As he tried to figure out how it was important, the shattering of glass and a pained cry from Zell caught his attention.

Seifer ran into the main room to see Zell clutching his shoulder and the window shattered. Grabbing his gun, he pressed up against the wall and peered out the window and saw Irvine standing on the ground a few feet away, tail of his coat blowing in the wind, and a smirk on his face. Before Seifer could react, he disappeared. Seifer cursed again then ran up to Zell. "You okay?" Zell huffed and gritted his teeth as he nodded. Seifer was cursing the Gods for ruining him again as he dragged Zell downstairs and drove him quickly to the hospital. As Zell was taken into the operation room, he called Quistis to inform her and to have someone come and check up on him later before he asked the receptionist about Squall. Informed that the brunette was just across the street, Seifer nodded and drove over the building across from the hospital and found the address Squall had left for him, knocking on the door.

xXx

Squall was beginning to regret coming to see Ellone today, perhaps he should have waited another day or two until he was feeling better. The brunette was certain he'd spent the better part of the last hour reassuring her that his injuries weren't serious, and she refused to believe that he had tripped over a lamp and cut himself. Obviously it wasn't the best excuse in the world, but Squall had been so distracted with everything else that he hadn't thought to come up with a story beforehand. "I'm telling you, it's nothing. Just a couple of stitches, I'm fine," he insisted for the last time before the matter was finally able to be dropped.

The stripper leaned forward in his chair next to Ellone's bed, glancing up at the clock on the wall. He would have preferred to stay the night with her, she always made him feel better when something was bothering him, but right now that seemed like a bad idea, especially if the killer knew where he was right now. Seemingly reading his thoughts, and having noticed his bag, Ellone reached out and brushed a few of Squall's bangs out of his face. "Squally, are you staying the night?" She asked softly as she motioned to his overnight bag. Squall frowned and shook his head, feeling like maybe he was disappointing her. "I'm staying with... a friend." He replied, pursing his lips slightly. Was Seifer a 'friend'? The brunette wasn't entirely sure what the man was to him, but as long as Ellone didn't push it, then it didn't matter. "I'm having maintenance done in my apartment, so I can't sleep there." He quickly added, just to make it seem more plausible. "Oh... alright then." Ellone smiled at him and seemed to drop the issue. _'I can't believe she bought that, she never does believe me with stuff like that...,'_ he thought to himself.

Squall eventually ended up leaned over and laying his head on his hands on the side of the bed while Ellone stroked his hair. It was something she'd done when he was younger to make him feel better, it always helped to ease his mind and Ellone seemed to enjoy the personal moment with her brother as well. A comfortable silence had settled over the room, Squall laying there with his eyes closed and Ellone playing with his hair while she watched TV. It was nice, and Squall actually though of taking a nap, until Ellone spoke again. "Squally..." she said, a playful tone in her voice, "Do I get to meet your friend?" The young woman asked, putting extra emphasis on the word 'friend' as she smiled far too sweetly down at her brother. Squall sat up instantly, his lips pursed and his eyes set defiantly. "He's not that kind of friend, Ellone." He answered, his tone firm and just a little bit too defensive. Ellone giggled and was about to tease him further since she could read her brother like a book, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "..." Squall froze up, glancing at the door with a look of dread. Damned Seifer and his timing.

Ellone studied her brother's reaction, giggling again at the look on his face. "Come in~" she called, eager to meet the person her brother was staying with. After all, it was rare that Squall hung around anyone, let alone stayed the night with them...

xXx

Seifer hadn't realized until he was standing outside the door to be let in that he would be meeting Squall's sister, the one he had been pretty close-mouthed about. Of course, he didn't realize a lot of things like the blood stain on his shirt from helping Zell. Hearing the soft feminine voice calling for him to come in, Seifer decided it was safe to open the door and allow himself in. For a moment he felt awkward for as he had come upon this room, he had figured out it was like a hospital but not. It was for all ill patients and it made him wonder if Ellone was sick. Whatever it was, he'd probably find out soon. Stepping slowly inside, he clicked the door shut behind him and turned his bright green eyes upon Squall and a sickly looking young woman in bed. "Hello." He spoke without his usual loudness. It just seemed inappropriate to be especially boisterous. The only real noise in the room was the TV that was playing. Usually he didn't feel awkward around meeting new people, but it felt like he was intruding on something private and not for him. What an odd feeling for him, someone who didn't care who or what he bothered and put his nose into. It was usually other people's business was his as well but this time he kept his mouth rightfully shut. Upon looking at Squall, he noticed that the brunette seemed softer around the girl, like he had been with the kitten, and found himself growing insanely jealous.

Seifer rubbed the back of his neck as he fought the feeling rising up in his gut as he stepped a few inches forward before coming to a standstill. This wasn't his place, it wasn't Squall's, it was some sick woman's. He was almost afraid to go near in fear of getting sick but he doubted it was something contagious. These were all irrational thoughts all of a sudden as he stood there awkwardly. What should he say? He didn't know if Ellone knew about what was going on. If he had realized something about Squall it was that he was rather tight-lipped about information like that and he was sure he didn't want Ellone to worry. Well he could understand that but it was kind of wrong not to for what if something had happened to Squall? How would they explain to Ellone without her having some prior knowledge? It would hurt worse. As a cop, he was sort of used to these sort of situations, but that didn't make them any easier. The emotions on the family and friend's faces were all real, all pain and devastation. He didn't want that to happen for Squall and Ellone especially when she was obviously sick from something.

"I didn't know if you were ready to go but I can wait if you aren't." Seifer said as he gripped his arm and gave a wary smile as he glanced to Ellone. Despite his awkwardness, he couldn't help himself from questioning her a bit. "So your Ellone...Squall mentioned you once. Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Seifer Almasy. I work for the Balamb Police Station." Hopefully that wasn't stepping out of boundaries for it was a simple introduction. It was the least he could do when coming to pick up Squall. It wasn't like he could just ignore Ellone, whisk Squall away, and act like nothing was up. Today was just a long, long day for Seifer. He was just glad to take the rest of the evening off and just relax and figure out what he was going to do next. Of course he had to figure out the ties between Irvine and Cid since that was suspicious to him and he always followed his gut instinct but that could wait.

xXx

Squall watched Seifer as the man entered the room. It was weird seeing the cop like this. He was actually behaving, but at least he was respecting Ellone and that made Squall breathe a little easier. He had worried that Seifer would come in and make a big scene, or hassle his sister for information, but it seemed like the blond understood how inappropriate that would be and had chosen to refrain from it. Squal shifted in his seat a bit awkwardly, he really should have briefed Seifer on what to expect here, but once again he hadn't been thinking.

The brunette shook his head and reached for his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he stood up. "Ellone needs to rest anyways, I'm ready to go." The young woman smiled brightly at Seifer, despite her frailness, and reached for his hand, indicating that he should come over and shake hers. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Almasy." Ellone glanced over at Squall and frowned before she turned back to Seifer. "Squall's not in trouble, is he...?" She asked, a bit concerned that her brother was being escorted around by a cop. Squall sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I told you, its' nothing." He said to Ellone, pursing his lips tightly. The brunette shot Seifer a look that begged him not to tell her the entire truth, she really didn't need that kind of stress right now. Ellone just smiled and reached for her paper pad and pen next to her bed, scrawling something on it.

"We should get going." Squall said suddenly, trying to change the subject. "Alright Squall, I'll call you when I hear what the doctor has to say." She said, reaching out her arms for him. Squall nodded and leaned in to hug her before he straightened up and glanced to Seifer, indicating he was ready to go. When Squall wasn't looking, Ellone tore the paper she had written on off of the pad and folded it up in her hand. "It was nice meeting you." She said to Seifer, reaching out for his hand so she could slip him the note. Squall moved towards the door, only to have his sister call out to him and cause him to glance back. "Oh and Squall... behave yourself." She teased lightheartedly, giggling at the expression her remark left on Squall's face. "... Whatever." He replied, but for once his tone wasn't icy or annoyed when he said it. "Don't flirt too much with the doctor." The stripper added as a parting shot before he headed through the door; Ellone was the only person he ever came even remotely close to joking with, and he wasn't going to let her beat him at it in front of Seifer. Ellone just giggled, blushing slightly as she shook her head; her brother never changed.

xXx

Seifer gave a short nod to Squall's statement before he looked to Ellone and saw the extended hand. Stepping forward, he took the frail hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of it and smiled, "Pleasure to meet you as well." He winked at her, almost flirtatiously. Despite his roguish and jerk nature, Seifer had grown up fancying the lifestyle of knights in shining armor with damsels to save and woo. The chivalry that had become a knight he had kind of taken upon himself, a childish thing yet Seifer had never fully grown up. There was still a kid stuck in his adult body, one left by torment, pain, and rejection of not having anyone want him. At least Squall had Ellone. Though he blinked at her question about Squall and gave her a reassuring smile, ignoring the look Squall gave him. "Not at all, he just fancies me in my uniform if you know what I mean." He smirked as he playfully waggled his brows up and down at Ellone. Well it wasn't the truth but it wasn't as bad as Ellone knowing Squall had someone trying to kill him. Though Seifer was going to bring that up once they leave. Ellone should know about this before she found out the hard way. She seemed like a sweet girl and didn't need to know nothing then find out so abruptly because Squall either was seriously hurt or worse, dead. But it would take a lot of convincing to get through that stubborn skull of Squall's.

Seifer gave Squall a nod of agreement before he reached out and shook Ellone's hand one last time, taking the note she had slipped him. He glanced at it briefly, smiled at the exchange between the two siblings, before he tucked the note in with all the other stuff he had stuffed in there. Man his pocket was filling up for once. Shaking his head, he said farewell to Ellone and left the room with Squall. Glancing at the brunette, he eyed the softer expression on his face and smirked, "You really love your sister don't you? It's nice that you have each other...and I see now why you do the job you do. What's wrong?" He asked, hoping Squall would inform him of what was ailing Ellone for he didn't want to go around assuming things that probably weren't even correct. Now though it made more sense why Squall had the job he did. He wasn't just supporting himself it seemed but his sister as well, of course he was assuming that too but he figured he was nearly one hundred percent right on that one. He just had good perceptive skills.

Getting into his car, Seifer waited until Squall was buckled up before he drove back to his place. "So you'll be happy to see the little devil is there all settled in. I got him food, water, and litter. So he should be fine." It was the basic necessities and that was all the cat was getting from him. Squall would definitely owe him big time for letting him keep a fuzzball at his house. And here he had said how he needed a pet! Well now he had one...one that hated his guts. Rubbing the scratch on his neck subconsciously, he pulled into his driveway and cut the ignition. Nodding to Squall, he got out of the car and went to unlock the door, allowing them both inside. What he was met with nearly gave him a heart attack. Newspapers were scattered on the floor and torn, a few glasses had shattered, and there were claw marks in the furnitire, and the culprit was sitting upon the middle of the table. Seifer was speechless for once as he stared at the mess while the kitten hopped down and rushed over to Squall, loving up against his legs. "My house! Why, why, WHY!" He yelled, rounding on the kitten and pointing, "You little piece of shi-UGH, destroying my stuff? You find this funny don't you?"

The kitten seemed to be snickering as he hid behind Squall's leg, kneading his pants while watching Seifer the whole time. The blond cursed loudly and ranted as he began the ritual of cleaning the whole mess like a person with OCD.

xXx

Squall didn't bother correcting any idiotic statements Seifer made to his sister; that would only make it seem truer. Plus, he could just punch the man in the hallway where she couldn't see. Instead, Squall stomped into the hall, rounding on Seifer with an irritated glare as the other man joined him. "Yes." he replied flatly, not in the mood to elaborate on his sister-brother relationship at the moment. Then the inevitable question came, and Squall sighed loudly. "She needs a heart transplant." The brunette explained as they headed out of the building. "Insurance only covers so much of her bills..." He added as they approached the car. Squall never bothered explaining himself or his profession to anyone, but for some reason he felt the need to tell Seifer, to justify his actions.

The stripper glanced over at Seifer as they drove to his home, glad that the man had complied with his wishes and gotten the kitten what he needed. At least they had managed not to murder one another when he wasn't there. Squall had wanted to ask about the scratches and the blood on Seifer, but he didn't get the chance as they stepped into the house and found a disaster area. Squall didn't bother to interrupt as Seifer shouted at the kitten, instead he waited until the man had angrily set about cleaning to pick the kitten up and frown at it. "No," he said and pointed to the mess, expecting it to understand. Squall had a feeling the kitten would understand him just fine.

Squall sighed and carried the kitten into the bathroom, where he shut it inside so that he could help Seifer clean without any more incidents. Returning to the scene of the crime, Squall bent down and started gathering up shreds of newspaper. "What happened to you?" He finally asked, motioning to the blood on Seifer's clothes. Squall couldn't stop the sudden surge of guilt that had washed over him. Seifer had been out looking for Irvine, and had come home covered in blood, and hadn't even complained about it. What if he was hurt seriously and was ignoring it for his sake? The brunette hated the thought of that, it would just be one more thing he was indebted to the man over.

xXx

A heart transplant? Seifer was really glad he had kept himself in line and hadn't told her anything that would alarm her. That was terrible and he gave Squall an apologetic look without having to actually say those horrid words. Though Seifer was definitely going to need one himself if the mess they walked in on inside his home was anything to go by. The kitten had done this on purpose. There was no other reason behind it but pure resent towards him and the need to piss him off. It was probably a good thing that Squall had locked the kitten away in the bathroom for he was on a roll right then and there. He stomped through the kitchen, sweeping up glass and throwing it away, before he looked at the strewn paper and replaced them on the side table that ran along the wall with the phone on it. The claw marks, he really didn't know what to do with, but he tried to spray something that was meant for wood but that only helped minimally. The devil had got him this time but he wouldn't be doing this again. Rubbing his forehead, he washed his hands and growled something horrible under his breath before he looked to Squall as the brunette raised the question about the blood on his shirt. Remembering that, it set him off once more as he tossed the rag into the air and flung his hands up as he gave a frustrated sigh that echoed through the kitchen, "It's just been a long day." He said in answer, going to elaborate but he needed to make sure the rest of the house wasn't destroyed.

Going into the living room, Seifer saw only minor messes and even further there was nothing. Good, the kitten has stuck around the kitchen. Not that that wasn't enough to set him off but at least he hadn't had to clean up his whole house thanks to one puny stray. Shaking his head, he peeled his shirt off of him and leaned into the bathroom to drop it into the sink where he would later hand-scrub the blood from it. Then he turned back to Squall to give him a better answer. "Zell, the officer I had check up on you last night, was shot. We went to Irvine's apartment. It was empty so we searched through it. Well Irvine must have seen Zell and shot through the window and got Zell in the shoulder. He touched me with his bloody hand so no worries, not my blood." He smirked at the worried look that flickered into Squall's eyes. At least Squall cared enough to do so. Plus it was apparent by his bare chest that he received no injuries. There were multiple scars from old wounds but that was about it. Not bothered by being shirtless, he listened to the kitten scratching the bathroom door and meowing. "Speaking of that, you better train him. He likes you anyways." If the thing was staying with him, Squall had better make sure it behaved while he lived there with him.

Going over to his coat, Seifer pulled the receipts and card out of the pocket and went downstairs to his mini-lab where he did all his case studies. Clipping them together, he returned back to the kitchen and sighed. It was still pretty early in the afternoon. "Are you hungry?" He asked as he looked through his cabinets. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and with an eventful thing at the apartment and with the kitten here, he had made himself hungry. But what to make? There were meats and other things to make sandwiches, hot dogs, meat to make burgers, and fries. Rubbing his chin, he decided to go with hamburgers and fries and took out the meat and package of fries. Preparing a small griddle that he placed over the stove, he then poured oil into a pot for the fries and had that heat up as well. "Want a hamburger and if so, how many?" He asked, knowing after he ate he would have to get back to business and take care of his case that he couldn't ignore for a long period of time.

xXx

Squall pursed his lips at Seifer's reply, that much was obvious. Shaking his head, Squall scooped up the rest of the shredded paper and took it to the trashcan. He felt a little bad about what the kitten had done, but it was just a baby and hadn't been trained to live in a home, so he wasn't going to fault it for that. The brunette followed after Seifer, looking for more destruction in the kitten's wake. It seemed like the little furball had spared the poor man and contained its wrath to the front area for the most part, which was good for everyone's sake. At least now maybe Seifer wouldn't toss the kitten out on the curb.

The brunette finished gathering the last of the mess on the floor as Seifer went to remove his shirt. He couldn't help but to take in the other's appearance, albeit as subtly as possible. He hadn't really noticed during the night, but it seemed like the assumption he'd made the first time Seifer had saved his life had been right, the guy definitely worked out or something. Though Squall's train of though was broken when he was told that Zell had been shot. _'Shot because of me...,'_ he frowned to himself, his expression only lightening ever so slightly as the other explained that it wasn't a life threatening wound. "...Oh..." Squall was also relieved to hear that Seifer hadn't been hurt at all, well, aside from his apparent battle with the kitten, but he didn't say anything about it, instead choosing to just nod quietly in response as he mulled everything over.

The sound of meowing and clawing at the bathroom door broke Squall out of his thoughts. He nodded at Seifer and went to fetch the kitten, agreeing that he should be the one to do it, since it didn't seem like the little ball of fur wanted anything to do with the blond. While Seifer was gone, Squall let the kitten out, scooping it up as he carried it into the kitchen, petting it gently to reassure it that he wasn't angry anymore. Squall felt his stomach rumble as Seifer entered the room and asked about food. "A little." He nodded, walking over to the sink to grab a bottle of dish detergent. "That's fine... just one though." He replied and headed towards the bathroom with the soap and the kitten. "I'm going to give him a bath since we don't know where he's been." He explained as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, Squall filled the sink half way with warm water and set the kitten on the edge of the counter. "Don't freak out." he said quietly and proceeded to coat the kitten with soap, lathering it up gently. The thing looked pretty uncomfortable, but it had probably been living in an alley or a dumpster, and Squall didn't particularly care to cuddle with all of its germs. Once he was done, he quickly rinsed the kitten as it tried to escape the sink. He was sure it would forgive him later, and maybe Seifer would appreciate that the thing didn't smell like a trash can anymore, and maybe even enjoy the fact that the kitten was hating this. Squall didn't particularly agree with that line of thinking, but if it made Seifer feel better then whatever.

Once he was done, Squall wrapped the kitten up in a towel and held it close for warmth. He hoped Seifer was done cooking by then, his stomach rumbling loudly as he left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen with the bundle in his arms.

xXx

When 'oh' was Squall's only response to his story, Seifer raised a brow at the brunette. _Well don't sound too enthralled or anything_, He thought. Maybe it was a good thing it wasn't him who had gotten shot for Squall would have probably had the same reaction. Shaking his head at the thought, he got the stuff he needed to make hamburgers with and began to prepare the patties. When Squall requested one, he nodded then smirked, "Good idea, I don't need no garbage-smelling feline running around my house stinking up the place." For a man, he was quite meticulous about his house. Even though he didn't mind a little mess, if it stayed there for a long period of time he began to freak out. The only reason he would leave a mess was if it was too late to clean it up or he was exhausted from work which happened a lot on big cases such as this. Setting the patties on the grill, he honed his hearing on what was going on in the bathroom and could only imagine the kitten freaking out during its bath. Good, it deserved it.

As he let the one side of the hamburgers cook, Seifer began dropping some fries into the heated bubbling oil and hovered near the stove. Of course he moved around to grab plates, napkins, ketchup and mustard, and lastly cups just so they were out and ready. Soon the smell of the hamburgers and fries mingled in the kitchen while Seifer flipped them. The smell wasn't all that mouth-watering but it was easy food so he ignored that fact. As long as they weren't hot dogs, they were fine. How Zell ate a million of those a day was beyond him. Smirking, he knew Zell would curse him out at some point for bringing him along so that he ended up shot. The big baby. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head and smirked towards Squall and the kitten in his arms. "Ha, didn't like that you little runt. Keep destroying things and I'll just dunk you in water."

The kitten hissed at him as it quivered in Squall's arms. In his little cat brain he couldn't understand what he had just done, he just knew it was horrible. Seifer put the hamburgers on bread, covered them in ketchup and mustard, then gave an equal portion of fries before setting the plates on the table. Then he grabbed some pop from the fridge and poured it into their glasses and took a seat. "So are you going to name it?" Seifer had already decided to call it all sorts of negative names, for to him it didn't deserve anything better but he was sure Squall would prefer something more substantial. Eying the kitten, he chewed upon a fry as he stared at it then at Squall. "So what did the doctors say and do?" He asked, having totally forgotten Squall had seen a doctor before until now.

xXx

Squall rolled his eyes at Seifer's remarks and held the kitten close. He didn't understand why the man was so hostile towards it, to him it was just a sweet and innocent kitten that was in need of a little house training. The brunette heard the hiss and felt the kitten trembling, and gently patted the bundle. " Ssh." He cooed softly at the kitten to calm it down. Squall turned his frosty gaze back upon Seifer and frowned. "He understands what you say, you know." He chided, stroking the kitten lightly. If Seifer was going to act that way, then Squall didn't think it was unfair that the kitten wrecked his house after all.

The stripper joined Seifer at the table, letting the kitten rest in the towel on his lap while he picked at the fries. The blond's question caught his attention, and after chewing on a fry for a moment, his gaze turned thoughtful. "Why don't you name it? It is your kitten..." He replied, munching on another fry. Technically it was true, the kitten lived in Seifer's house, was eating the food Seifer bought, Squall was just the only one who wanted it. "...And don't name it anything bad." He added, his tone somewhat stern as he shot the man a threatening expression.

Squall shrugged at Seifer's next question, picking at the burger and pulling a tiny piece off to feed to the kitten. "Stitched me up, gave me some painkillers, sent me home." He replied in a nonchalant tone. Really, there wasn't much to it, though the doctor had told him any deeper and that cut might have killed him, but Seifer didn't need to know that. "...I'm just not supposed to do anything strenuous for the next couple of days until it heals." He added, just in case the man was getting any strange ideas.

The brunette continued to pick at his food, occasionally feeding a piece to the kitten in his lap. Taking a bite of his burger, Squall chewed it as he mulled over his thoughts. _'You can't stay here forever and play house, you know,_' he chided himself. Shaking his bangs out of his eyes, Squall cleared that nagging thought from his mind and glanced across the table at Seifer. "Did you find anything today...?" He asked, poking at a half-eaten fry on his plate.

xXx

Seifer gave Squall a look that said he was crazy. How could an animal understand the words he was speaking? As far as he knew, which was a lot, animals and humans spoke two completely different languages and there was no way the kitten understood English. Eying the furball, he shook his head. "It doesn't know a thing I'm saying, it's just biased." Or at least understood the annoyed undertones of his voice and preferred the attention-giving person. Not that he cared, he never got all mushy over a small animal or any animal for that matter. To him, they just pissed, pooped, and destroyed which was quite apparent as he had come home to a messed up kitchen. Shaking his head, he sipped his pop as he worked on his dinner. Though when Squall said that he should name the kitten since it was his, he scoffed. "And how do you figure that?" But after getting past the idea of him being the not-so-proud owner of the stray, he smirked at the fact that Squall was allowing him to name it. Well if it was his duty then he might as well. Though he frowned when he was told not to name it something mean or stupid. Well that stumped out the list of names he had mentally created for the little devil.

Falling into thought, Seifer eyed the kitten as it was still in its drying stage, running all sorts of names through his mind until he finally found one that seemed to fit the little beast. "Tholomew. It's perfect." He smirked, his expression showing that he was quite delighted with himself. It was tough sounding, kind of reminded him of a name for a little demon or something, and the kitten just looked like a Tholomew. Said kitten was giving him a petulant look like he was stupid or something. Seifer just smirked at the thing as he sat back in his chair. "Tholomew the first. The czar of Almasy's house." He sneered before waving the subject off since it had been settled. Now that that little matter was done with, he turned his attention back to Squall to hear his story about his lovely doctor visit. Hearing the story, he was almost disappointed it wasn't more than that but he figured it would be that simple. "Good. So feeling better? And that means you can't work for a few days huh?" He almost sneered but he kept it at a dull smirk.

Emptying his plate and filling his belly, Seifer brought it to the sink and washed it quickly before he sat back down and fiddled with his cup when Squall asked about his work. A sigh left his lips as he gave a small nod. "A few things. The receipts to the flower shop which we can use to persecute him with and a card for a man named Cid Kramer, somehow they are associates even though I don't see why a university headmaster would be in with some killer." He shook his head at the thought, knowing he would get to the bottom of that soon. "Does that name ring a bell to you?" He asked, eying Squall as he finished his soda. There had to be a reason why Irvine was so determined to kill Squall and not just give up and go after another stripper. It was definitely something fishy.

xXx

Squall shook his head in response; Seifer clearly didn't know what he was talking about. Animals may not understand the exact words, but they definitely knew when you were insulting them; it was no wonder the kitten hated Seifer so much. It didn't matter though, the brunette would be there to watch out for it if Seifer tried anything slick. "Your house, your cat." He replied, stroking the kitten's fur lightly. Maybe the little furball would grow on the man if they spent more time together; either that or he'd have to find it a new home, but Squall figured it would work out just fine.

"Tholomew?" He repeated, staring at Seifer. That wasn't exactly the sort of name he was expecting the blond to come up with, but it was better than something mean, so the stripper shrugged and patted the kitten. "Tholomew it is then...," he nodded. Squall rolled his eyes at the man across from him, for as much as Seifer said he hated the kitten, he certainly seemed to be enjoying naming it over there across the table, though it seemed sarcastic for the most part. Squall nodded as Seifer asked if he was feeling better, though his eyes narrowed in annoyance when Seifer mentioned him working. "It's not like I can really work with the killer out there anyways." He snapped, shooting the man a pointed look. As much as Squall hated his job, he was hoping Seifer would catch the murderer soon, he still had to provide for Ellone and pay his rent and things.

Squall reached down to stroke the kitten some more, though his hand froze in its movements when the name Cid Kramer was mentioned. The brunette glanced up slowly, his steel blue eyes locking with Seifer's. "... Yes, actually." He said quietly, suddenly feeling very cold. Up until this point, Squall had thought that the killer was simply still after him because he hated to lose or something, but this new revelation changed everything. "... I met him a couple months ago..." Squall told him, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The brunette pulled the bundle in his arms up to his chest as if to shield himself from whatever memory had just be drudged up, gently petting the purring ball of fur inside. He couldn't believe this, that this was what this was all about. Did this mean that all of the other murders were his own fault? "...Hn."


End file.
